Fast cutting

Fast cutting is a film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration (e.g. 3 seconds or less). It can be used to convey a lot of information very quickly, or to imply either energy or chaos. Fast cutting is also frequently used when shooting dialogue between two or more characters, changing the viewer's perspective to either focus on the reaction of another character's dialog, or to bring to attention the non-verbal actions of the speaking character.

One famous example of fast cutting is the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's film "Psycho" (1960).

More recent examples include the Can-can scene in "Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge!" (2001).

The film Mind Game makes extensive use of Fast cutting to convey hundreds of short scenes in the space of fifteen minutes.

Hip hop montage

A "hip hop montage" is a subset of Fast cutting used in film to portray a complex action through a rapid series of simple actions in fast motion, accompanied by sound effects. The technique was first given its name by Darren Aronofsky, who used the technique in his films "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream" to portray drug use. [http://www.people.carleton.edu/~tonksn/aronofsky/edit.html] The technique is derived from the hip hop culture of the 1990s and jump cuts first pioneered in the French new wave.

It was used earlier in Paul Anderson's "Boogie Nights". Guy Ritchie also used the technique in "Snatch" to portray transcontinental travel. The work of Edgar Wright, most notably in his collaboration with Simon Pegg ("Spaced", "Hot Fuzz", and "Shaun of the Dead"), uses the technique.

ee also

* Slow cutting