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Glite Dictionary
jump cut

jump cut

1 6.8
A sudden change between two film shots that makes action or time seem to skip
  • noun
  • /dʒʌmp kʌt/
  • Specialized
: corte abrupto
  • The film features several jump cuts that emphasize the protagonist's frantic state of mind.
  • quick jump cuts

They see the success, they see the smiles in between, you know, jump cut together, but they don't see in between the jump cuts.

Examples

  • Action scenes had a logical flow instead of the overuse of fast and jump cuts that some modern filmmakers use.

    Blog text (8)

  • In filmmaking, it's called a jump cut.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Dixie Carter promo with a jump cut every few seconds.

    Blog text (11)

  • A montage with jump cuts as Frida paces in circles.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Try choosing a point in your story that has two passages separated in time, and experiment with several transitions: a film-style jump cut, either with extra white space or not; a change in mood; a brief narration of how the character got from one place to another.

    Academic text (2010)

  • In the final edit, the director decided to use a jump cut to create a more dynamic transition between scenes.

  • During the editing process, the team noticed a jump cut that abruptly shifted from one location to another.

Synonyms

jump
vsjump cut
  • Specialized
8 6.7

An abrupt change from one film scene to another

focuses on causing a clear discontinuity in action or time
jump-cut
vsjump cut
  • Specialized
7.6

A sudden cut between shots in a film that shows time passing or makes the action jump

is the unhyphenated form of the same film editing term

Antonyms

dissolve
  • Specialized
4 6.6

A gradual change from one film scene to the next as the first fades

How Abrupt

to cut
  • Informal
343 2.8
jump cut
  • Specialized
1 6.8
dissolve
  • Specialized
4 6.6
to fade
531 1.2

Surface Forms

jump cut singular
jump cuts plural

Morphology

jump + cut

The compound literally combines 'jump' (sudden movement) with 'cut' (an editing transition), so a learner who knows both words can infer an abrupt or sudden edit. However, the precise filmic sense—an editing technique that creates a discontinuity in action or time—is technical jargon and not fully predictable without some exposure, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Jump cut comes from the image of a sudden jump forward when the picture is cut to a new shot, so the actor or time seems to skip. That's why jump cut today means a quick, abrupt change between shots that can feel strange.