Straight Cut (Technique)

A straight cut is an editing technique which is used in almost all films. It allows one shot to suddenly end and the next shot to abruptly come onto the screen. It allows unnecessary footage to be removed or shortened. An example of where a straight cut would be used is if a man was about to go leave the house, the editor could have straight cuts of all of the various actions he performs, this allows the viewer to stay engaged with the film. If no straight cuts were used, the film would involve watching the man wake up, rub his eyes, walk to the bathroom, brush his teeth etc. Eventually this would get tedious and the audience would get bored, therefore straight cuts are used so the viewer only needs to see actions that need to be seen.

The video above is a short clip from the film Batman (1989). In which it shows the superhero suiting up. The straight cut is used here to shorten the sequence which in turn saves time and retains the viewers attention as well as looks more stylistic. If the film hadn't featured the straight cuts, the scene would have involved the character, grabbing the boots then putting them on, putting each individual arm in the suit, each leg in the suit, putting on the mask etc. This would be extremely time consuming, therefore the sequence just involves a vault opening to show the suit, a belt being closed to show the suit has been put on and the Batman emblem to show the audience who he is and that he is ready. Having just two indications of the suit being put on through the use of straight cuts allows the audience to understand that the suit has been put on.