Introduction
Cutting: Editing as a Way of Shaping Time
In this first module, audiovisual language is approached through a fundamental operation: cutting. To cut is not simply to remove part of an action or to move from one shot to another. It means organising time: deciding what remains visible, what disappears, what connects to what, and what is compressed or stretched.
The video is based on a very simple situation: a couple handling and moving boxes in an apartment. The action is ordinary, but it is repeated several times through different editing approaches. The module therefore invites learners to distinguish between real time, filmed time and perceived time. Audiovisual language does not merely record time: it shapes it.
Part of the Exploring Audiovisual Grammar curriculum
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
understand that editing constructs an experience of time;
identify several ways of structuring time: long take, ellipsis, match, hard cut and slow motion;
distinguish between actual continuity and the impression of continuity;
analyse the effects produced by cuts on the viewer’s perception;
put into words sensations of duration, interruption, acceleration or slowing down;
use collaborative annotation to identify the moments when time shifts.
Watch the Video
CUT Click on the link below to watch the video once without taking notes. Pay attention to how each version of the same action changes your perception of time. Which moments seem accelerated, extended, interrupted or continuous?
Watch “Video 1 - CUT” on PeerTube A still from the video “CUT”
Video Analysis
Comparing Five Experiences of Time
The five variations organise the same action through contrasting temporal forms: continuous, hollowed-out, gapped, smoothed and stretched time. Comparing them reveals how long takes, ellipses, abrupt cuts, continuity matches, slow motion and sound treatment shape the viewer’s attention, sense of rhythm and perception of duration. The action remains recognisable, but each audiovisual choice creates a different temporal experience.
Five Variations
Explore Five Variations Continuous Time The first variation presents the action in a single, uninterrupted static shot. The couple handle and move the boxes within the frame while the camera preserves the actual duration and continuity of their actions.
To observe: The absence of cuts, the fixed framing, the uninterrupted duration and the movements of the couple and boxes within the space.
Concepts: Long take, real duration, fixed shot, continuity.
Hollowed-Out Time The second variation retains the same fixed framing but removes several segments of the action. Jump cuts make the boxes and characters change position abruptly, allowing viewers to understand that time has passed while reconstructing the missing movements.
To observe: The unchanged framing, the abrupt changes in the position of the boxes and characters, and the segments of action omitted between cuts.
Concepts: Ellipsis, jump cut, fixed frame, viewer reconstruction.
Gapped Time The third variation breaks the action into a rapid succession of close-ups and detail shots showing hands, boxes, feet and fragments of movement. Hard cuts and changing shot lengths create a strongly perceptible rhythm, while viewers reconstruct the overall action from separate visual fragments.
To observe: The close-ups and detail shots, the fragmentation of bodies and gestures, the changing duration of the shots and the relationship between visual cuts and sound.
Concepts: Hard cut, fragmentation, shot duration, audiovisual rhythm.
Smoothed Time The fourth variation divides the action into multiple shots while preserving an impression of continuity. Gestures, movements, glances and boxes connect the images across cuts, allowing viewers to follow the action smoothly despite changes in framing and camera position.
To observe: The continuity of gestures and movements, the use of objects and glances as visual links, and the discreet transitions between different framings.
Concepts: Match on action, continuity editing, visual connection, invisible editing.
Stretched Time The fifth variation stretches the action through slow motion, extended gestures and a more pronounced sound treatment. Movements that would normally pass quickly acquire greater duration and presence, while the relationship between image and sound creates a suspended and intensified rhythm.
To observe: The slowed movements, the extended duration of gestures, the emphasis placed on ordinary actions and the contribution of sound to the perception of time.
Concepts: Slow motion, temporal dilation, sound rhythm, attention to gesture.
What the Video Explores
The time of the action: The time needed to handle, move, stack and open boxes, and to reorganise the space.The time created by editing: The time constructed through the arrangement of shots: what is kept, removed, connected, accelerated or slowed down.The time perceived by the viewer: The time felt by the viewer: shorter, longer, more fluid, more fragmented or denser.
Audiovisual language does not reproduce time as it is. It creates a temporal experience.
Key Concepts
The following two sections examine how editing constructs audiovisual time. The first introduces the role of shots, cuts, duration and rhythm. The second focuses on matches and ellipses: two complementary operations that connect moments or make part of the action disappear.
Explore the Key Concepts Editing: Constructing Audiovisual Time Editing is one of the fundamental operations of audiovisual language. It consists of arranging shots in a given order, with a given duration and according to a given rhythm. To edit is therefore not simply to assemble images. It is to build an experience of time: deciding what will be shown, what will be removed, what will be extended, accelerated, slowed down or made perceptible through a cut.
Shots, Cuts, Rhythm and Duration
The shot: A continuous portion of image and sound situated between two cuts. The shot is not only an image: it is also a unit of duration.The cut: The transition from one shot to another. It determines what we see, what disappears and what we reconstruct.Duration: The length of a shot or a scene. It directs attention: an extended shot leaves time to observe; a brief shot can create speed or fragmentation.Rhythm: The perceptible organisation of shot durations, cuts, repetitions, pauses, accelerations and slowdowns, together with their relationship to sound. Continuity and Discontinuity
Editing may seek to create an impression of continuity. The cuts are then made discreet through matches: a gesture begun in one shot continues in the next, an object carries the transition, or a direction remains consistent.
Editing can also embrace discontinuity. The cuts then become more visible: the action jumps from one moment to another, time becomes fragmented, and transitions become sharper. These two approaches should not be understood as a good and a bad way of editing. They simply produce different effects.
What Editing Does to the Viewer
Editing guides attention. It can show a gesture in its continuity, omit a moment, emphasise a detail, speed up an action, slow down a perception or make a rupture felt.
It can lead viewers to:
believe they are watching a continuous action;
understand that a segment of time has disappeared;
accept an ellipsis without noticing it;
feel an acceleration or a rupture;
give more importance to an ordinary gesture;
mentally reconstruct what has not been shown.
Key Takeaway
Editing is a way of shaping time. It organises shots, durations, cuts and rhythms in order to construct an audiovisual experience. It does not simply reproduce the time of an action: it selects it, transforms it and makes it perceptible. Understanding editing means understanding that the time of a video is always constructed.
Matches and Ellipses: Holding Time Together, Making Time Disappear In editing, not all cuts produce the same effect. Some make the transition from one shot to another smooth, almost imperceptible. Others make us feel that a segment of time has disappeared, or that the action moves forward by leaps. This section distinguishes two essential operations: the match, which holds two shots together, and the ellipsis, which removes a segment of time while allowing the viewer to understand what happened.
The Match: Organising Continuity
A match is a connection between two shots. It allows the viewer to move from one image to another without losing track of the action, the space or the movement. A match does not make the cut disappear. It makes it acceptable, easy to follow and sometimes almost invisible. It guides the viewer by providing points of reference: where they are, what is happening and how the shots are connected.
Some Types of Matches
Match on action: A movement begins in one shot and continues in the next. The viewer’s attention follows the gesture.Directional match: A movement keeps a consistent direction from one shot to the next. It helps maintain the clarity of space.Object match: An object acts as a link between two shots: held, put down, moved or put away. It becomes an anchor point for the gaze.Sound bridge: A sound carries across the cut: ambient noise, rubbing, a voice, cardboard or an object being set down. It can make the cut less visible. Invisible Editing
When matches work smoothly, the viewer may have the impression that the scene unfolds naturally. The cuts exist, but they do not present themselves as ruptures. The term invisible editing is sometimes used for editing that seeks to go unnoticed in favour of the continuity of the action. This does not mean that editing is neutral: it strongly organises perception, but without drawing attention to itself.
The Ellipsis: Removing So the Viewer Can Infer
An ellipsis consists of removing a segment of time. The viewer does not see everything that happens, but can infer it through clues provided by the editing: the boxes and characters occupy one position in one shot and another in the next. The ellipsis does not merely create a shortcut. It activates the viewer, who has to reconstruct what is missing.
Discreet ellipsis: It removes part of the time without significantly disrupting comprehension.Visible ellipsis: It makes the temporal jump felt: something is missing between two moments.Hard cut: A direct cut, with no gradual transition. It can create a strong rupture.Jump cut: A cut that creates a perceptible discontinuity within the same action or the same space. Holding Time Together, Making Time Disappear
Holding time together: The match connects shots. It creates an impression of continuity, coherence or fluidity.
Making time disappear: The ellipsis removes part of time. It creates an absence that the viewer has to fill in.
Key Takeaway
A match allows two shots to hold together. An ellipsis allows a segment of time to disappear. Editing therefore constructs time through a double movement: it connects and it removes. It organises what the viewer sees, but also what they understand without having seen it. Analysing editing means observing both the links between shots and the absences between moments.
Activities
The following activities are designed for a small group or a class. They move progressively from shared observation to collaborative annotation and audiovisual production. Each activity can be adapted to the learners’ level, the available time and the technical equipment.
Explore the Activities Activity 1 — Comparing the Five Variations
Type: Group analysisDuration: 45 minutesObjective: Compare the five variations of the video to identify how editing transforms the perception of time.
Materials
Video of the video CUT
Projector or shared screen
Board or collaborative tool
Module concepts
Procedure
Viewing without technical instructions: Screen the video without interruption. Ask participants to note an impression of duration, fluidity, acceleration, rupture or slowing down.Sharing impressions: Gather reactions without immediately introducing technical concepts. Which variation feels long, fast, fluid, gapped or slowed down?Second viewing, variation by variation: Pause after each variation. Build three columns: what I see / what I feel / what produces this effect.Collective synthesis: Gradually introduce the concepts of long take, cut, ellipsis, match, rhythm and slow motion. Formulate a synthesis sentence on editing and time.
Trainer’s Role: Start from participants’ impressions before naming the techniques. Help them move from felt response to analysis, without looking too quickly for the right answer.
Variant / Extension: Divide the group into five subgroups. Each subgroup analyses one variation and then presents the temporal regime identified.
Activity 2 — Collaborative Annotation with Celluloid
Type: Collaborative annotation with Celluloid Duration: 1 hourObjective: Collectively identify the moments when editing transforms the perception of time: cut, ellipsis, match, rupture or slow motion.
Preparation
Before the session, add the video CUT to Celluloid and create the following annotation prompt: “Annotate the moments when you feel time changing. First describe your impression, then connect it to an editing choice.”
Procedure
Launch: Present the objective. The aim is not only to spot cuts, but to describe their effects on the perception of time.Individual or pair annotation: Each participant adds several annotations: ellipsis, smooth match, visible cut, rhythmic effect or slowed gesture.Collective reading: Project the annotations and group them around three questions: What connects? What disappears? What effect does this produce?Synthesis: Ask the group to complete the sentence: “In this video, editing transforms time into…” Possible ideas include continuity, jump, acceleration, suspension or reconstruction.
Trainer’s Role: Support the shift from descriptive annotation to analysis. Encourage participants not simply to write “there is a cut”, but to specify what this cut produces.
Variant / Extension: Compare two annotations of the same moment: one descriptive and one analytical. Identify which one best helps to understand the editing effect.
Activity 3 — Editing Time Through Production
Type: Group productionDuration: 1.5 to 2 hoursObjective: Experiment with editing as a construction of time by filming a simple action, then producing several edited versions.
Materials
Smartphones or lightweight cameras
Tripod or stable support, if possible
Simple editing software or app
Easy-to-handle objects: books, chairs, bags, sheets of paper or boxes
Projection screen for sharing the work
Procedure
Preparation: In groups of three or four, choose a simple action: clearing a table, emptying a bag, moving chairs, sorting sheets of paper or setting up an object.Filming: Film the action by planning clear shots, a few gestures that can be matched, moments that can be removed, and objects that mark the passing of time.Editing: Create at least two versions: a smooth version, in which the action appears to unfold naturally, and a gapped version, in which ellipses or ruptures are perceptible.Screening and discussion: Present the versions to the group. Which one seems fluid? Which one makes the ellipses perceptible? What does editing change in the perception of the action ?
Trainer’s Role: Remind participants that the aim is not to tell a complex story or assess technical quality, but to produce perceptible differences between the versions.
Variant / Extension: If time allows, add a third, dilated version. Slow down or extend certain gestures to modify the viewer’s attention.
Further Viewing and Reading
The following references extend the work carried out in the CUT module. The films and texts listed here are not models to imitate, but points of comparison. How do other works construct time through editing, cuts, matches, ellipses, repetitions or slow motion?
Explore the References Classic and Landmark Films
Sherlock Jr. — Buster Keaton, 1924. Cuts transform space, time and the continuity of the action. To observe: Breaks in continuity, surprise, visual gag.Battleship Potemkin — Sergei Eisenstein, 1925. A reference for understanding editing as dramatic intensification. To observe: Fragmentation, build-up of tension, montage of attractions.Man with a Movie Camera — Dziga Vertov, 1929. Editing organises the gaze, urban rhythm, gestures and machines. To observe: Rhythmic editing, repetition, acceleration.À bout de souffle — Jean-Luc Godard, 1960. The jump cut makes the cut visible and changes the rhythm of the scene. To observe: Discontinuity, acceleration, visible cut.La Jetée — Chris Marker, 1962. A film built from still images, duration and voice. To observe: Mental time, sequencing, memory.Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles — Chantal Akerman, 1975. Duration and repetition transform the perception of ordinary gestures. To observe: Duration, everyday gestures, tiny variations. Popular and Contemporary Films
Rocky — John G. Avildsen, 1976. The training sequences condense time and build a progression. To observe: Ellipsis, musical rhythm, transformation.Goodfellas — Martin Scorsese, 1990. Movement and cutting produce a spectacular continuity. To observe: Fluidity, sequencing, internal rhythm.Requiem for a Dream — Darren Aronofsky, 2000. A fragmented, repetitive editing style condenses gestures. To observe: Repetition, fast editing, saturation.Shaun of the Dead — Edgar Wright, 2004. Ordinary gestures are transformed by quick, comic cuts. To observe: Comic ellipsis, hard cut, everyday actions.Whiplash — Damien Chazelle, 2014. Editing connects sound, gesture and bodily tension. To observe: Rhythm, gesture-linked cut, tension.Mad Max: Fury Road — George Miller, 2015. Dense action editing remains highly readable. To observe: Guided gaze, speed, readability.Dunkirk — Christopher Nolan, 2017. Editing links several temporalities within a single structure. To observe: Cross-cutting, tension, multiple temporalities. Bibliography
Bazin, A. (2004). What is cinema? (H. Gray, Trans.; Vols. 1–2). University of California Press.
Eisenstein, S. (1957). Film form: Essays in film theory and The film sense (J. Leyda, Ed. & Trans.). Meridian Books.
Murch, W. (2001). In the blink of an eye: A perspective on film editing (2nd ed.). Silman-James Press.
Amiel, V. (2022). Esthétique du montage (5e éd.). Armand Colin.
Aumont, J., & Marie, M. (2020). L’analyse des films (4e éd.). Armand Colin.
Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., & Smith, J. (2026). Film art: An introduction (13th ed.). McGraw Hill.
Suggestions for Trainers
Choose a short, highly readable extract rather than multiplying examples.
Where possible, pair a classic or landmark reference with a popular or contemporary reference.
Ask participants to identify cuts, ellipses, matches or variations in rhythm.
Compare visible and invisible editing: What do we see, understand and feel?
Use the references as extensions of the CUT video, not as closed illustrations of a rule.
Conclusion
Editing does not simply assemble shots or shorten an action. It constructs an experience of time by selecting what remains visible, removing certain moments, connecting others and organising durations into a rhythm. Through cuts, matches, ellipses, continuity and discontinuity, viewers perceive an action as fluid, fragmented, accelerated, suspended or extended.
By analysing the five variations of the CUT video and experimenting through annotation or production, learners can move from an impression of time to a more precise understanding of the editing choices that create it. The next module shifts attention from time to framing, distance and point of view: the ways in which audiovisual language organises how we observe a scene.
The ‘Exploring Audiovisual Grammar’ Curriculum
If you would like to explore more within this ‘Exploring Audiovisual Grammar’ curriculum, click here to go to the next module: “Exploring Audiovisual Grammar - OBSERVE ”
