Need help with J cuts

[Tim Kolb]

[Dan Archer] “A cut is a cut & a dissolve is a disolve, and not just anybody with a system is a pro.”

Um…ok.

As Stephen illustrates, a J cut is when audio leads picture at the edit, we hear the audio of actor B starting to respond to actor A before we cut to him visually. An L cut is when audio trails video…actor B says something inflammatory and we want to see actor A’s face respond even before actor B is finished talking.

In theory, if you picture the video track above the audio track, the visualization of the two edits look a little like a “J” when audio leads picture and an “L” when audio trails…

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Jason Diebler]

I had a professor in film school who won an Academy Award for sound design who once said that there is a psychology to the J cut…

Typically, when someone speaks, you first hear, then you look and pay attention. Its the natural way our senses lead us. Hear first, then look.

[Dan Archer]

I have used it many time but never heard it called a J cut. I always though of it as an L cut but bass ackwards. A rose by any other name………..

And Stephen that was hilarious.

A cut is a cut & a dissolve is a disolve, and not just anybody with a system is a pro.

[Stephen Smith]

[Dan] I have used it many time but never heard it called a J cut

Believe it or not, but Wikipedia has never heard of one either. They only cover an L cut:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L_cut

Salt Lake Video

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