1.Principles of Editing- Jump cutting

PRINCIPLES OF FILM EDITING- JUMP-CUTTING

A jump cut happens when two similar shots are cut together but there is a change in continuity, camera position or time. Jump cuts will see the figures moving against a consistent background or the background moving with a still figure. Jump-cuts are often frown upon as it interrupts with continuity editing. The editing technique become mainstream in the 1960s when the technique was pioneered by directors of La Nouvelle Vague (The french new wave). Jump cuts are used through out Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" (A bout de souffle) and while the reason for the jump cuts were just a sneaky way to make the film eligible for theatrical release, others believe it was a way to show "the moral and emotional disjointedness of the behaviors portrayed". In this scene, Patricia and Michel are driving and there is obvious tension between the two. The jump cuts here show a change in background but Patricia is in the same position, which shows the characters are still traveling but the tension between the two has kept conversation small, so when Patricia talks again they are well away from the previous location. Her position has not changed either, which could show that she does not want to be there and would rather be somewhere else.