These tricks will help you prep, shoot, and edit a great-looking match cut for your next film!

Transcript from the episode:

Introduction

Hello crew. Welcome to The Film Look. Rich here with another filmmaking knowledge bomb. Today I want to show you how to prep, shoot, and edit a great-looking match cut.

Me and Rob recently shot one for our film Sixty Seconds and found a few tricks which we want to share, so we are going to recreate our process step-by-step so you can see how we did it and use that technique for your own films.

What is a Match Cut?

So what even IS a match cut? Basically, if you stitch together two shots that both feature matching shapes in the frame, you get a match cut. Sometimes they also include synchronized motion if you want to get really fancy.

They tend to be used as scene transitions and work great to bring together two contrasting elements.

Preparation

We all know preparation is key, so you can start by subscribing to this channel for more filmmaking knowledge bombs, then we can draw the match cut into our storyboards before we shoot. So...

They don’t need to be works of art. Just as long as you can understand this shot is cutting to this shot, using the shape as the transition.

Doing it this way just means you are actively thinking about the match cut BEFORE you get into the editing room, making for an overall better transition.

Once we have it planned out, we can start shooting - and we’re actually going to start with SHOT B.

Shot B, The Frame Guide

Shot B starts with our character slowly removing a silver module covered in colored buttons and placing it on the table. So we can shoot that now.

Once we have SHOT B in the bag, we can find the frame which will be used as the cutting point, and make a frame guide on the monitor using a plastic wallet, scissors, a sharpie, and some tape.

Draw around the shape you will be match cutting and save the guide for when you are ready to shoot SHOT A.

This might be in a week’s time, or it might be months between shots, so just hold onto it. You will also want to make a note of the lens’s focal length so you can match that too and get it PERFECT.

Examples from Films

You can technically match cut any two shots which have a similar composition, but it is worth finding elements which; work as visual metaphors, meet your film thematically, and all that pretentious crap that, face it, we filmmakers love to inject into our movies.

One example of a great match cut metaphor is from 2001: A Space Odyssey. SHOT A shows early man throwing a bone into the sky (AKA early man’s first use of a weapon), match cutting to SHOT B, a spaceship, a highly advanced tool created by man. The match cut shows the vast evolution of human technology in a cut.

We breakdown the filmmaking elements of 2001 on our podcast.

🎧 Listen to our Podcast! (2001: A Space Odyssey) https://open.spotify.com/episode/4EZW1K5N1844P2wPRIr3Ja

Shot A, The Camera Move

Since we now have the frame guide, we can film SHOT A. We are going to slowly zoom into the pages as they are being turned, and when the page lands, we will land into the frame guide for the match cut.

You can do this with a pan, a tilt, or a camera move as well, just make sure to land the shot into the frame guide so you can get a perfect match cut.

To prevent the match cut from feeling orchestrated, you can blend it into the visual language of your film. For Sixty Seconds, we placed it alongside the various top-down shots, smash zooms, and smash cuts.

Editing The Match Cut

Editing a match cut can be as simple as cutting these shots back-to-back and away you go. If you wanted it to be pixel perfect, you could always adjust them slightly in post.

But, honestly, it doesn’t need to be pixel perfect. What actually makes a great match cut is the use of complementary sound design. For Sixty Seconds, I layered up a few things.

Sound Design

Basics.

Atmos: int./ext. Room tone throughout the whole film. Quiet, so you’ll want to hear headphones for this part.
Foley: clothing foley, bomb handling foley, and manual handling foley

Added Sound Design Elements.

Impact. Crescendos up, hits, and fades out. So it builds up to the match cut, re-enforces the edit point.
Whoosh: this layers up on top of the impact, smoothing it out, adding some low end bass.
Police Sirens, panned from right to left, and faded out. This gives us an audible clue that the scene has moved on. In the script this would be “moments later”.

But what I think really helps is the way we used the music in the scene.

This is the track we used, called Rapid Motion from Artlist.io. Links down below. You can hear the ticking in the music, very on theme with the film.

So when we actually shot this shot, we played the track on set as a sort of a metronome, so every page turn is in time with the music.

With every put together, it sounds like this...

Honestly, I’m really proud of that shot. I think it looks & sounds mint, it’s got a good pace, and it has that little extra spice in the edit to give it The Film Look.

If you want to see more about Sixty Seconds, we have a Special Features pack with over 3 hours of behind the scenes content, including an on-set experience, a director’s commentary, and even some tutorials to follow. Links down below.

And finally, we want to thank our supporters over on Patreon. Your support means we don’t have to sell our souls to sponsors! If you are interested, we have a community discord channel, bonus videos, and 1-on-1 feedback sessions. Links below.

Thanks for watching. Bye!

📼 Watch Sixty Seconds!

🎬 Check out our Special Features! https://www.thefilmlook.com/store/sixty-seconds-special-features

📺 Check out our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/TheFilmLook

📺 Match Cut by Celia Gomez

🎵 Need music for your films? Try Artlist. Get 2 months free! https://bit.ly/artlistfilmlook

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