01
Why should text and cuts line up?
Because a cut resets attention. Anything the viewer was part way through gets abandoned, including a half read line. When the text changes at the same moment as the picture, the two reinforce each other; when they change a beat apart, each one interrupts the other.
02
What happens at each kind of boundary
A cut resets attention, so anything the viewer was partway through is abandoned. Lining the two up means they reinforce each other instead.
| Boundary | Effect on reading | Better option |
|---|---|---|
| Cut in the middle of a word | Viewer loses the word and the shot | Move the cut a fraction either way |
| Cut mid line | Half read line is abandoned | Cut where the line ends |
| Cut on a pause | Both change together, nothing is lost | This is the target |
| New shot then new words | Eye settles, then reads | Works well, costs a fraction of a second |
| New words then new shot | Reading interrupted immediately | Avoid |
03
Aligning lines with cuts
Where possible, end a line of text just before a cut and start the next line just after it. The viewer finishes reading before the picture changes and begins the new line with the new shot. Small timing adjustments of a fraction of a second are enough.
Watch the clip at normal speed to check.
04
When a sentence spans a cut
If speech continues across a cut, split the text at a natural phrase near the cut rather than leaving one line straddling it. Viewers adapt more easily to a new line with a new shot.
Avoid splitting in the middle of a name or number.
05
Cutting with speech in mind
When editing, place cuts at natural pauses in speech. Cuts that fall between sentences are easier to watch and easier to caption.
Cuts mid-word feel jarring regardless of text.
06
Single-shot clips
Clips without cuts avoid the issue entirely, which is one reason simple talking-head clips are so easy to read.
Focus timing checks on clips with edits.
07
Picture and words changing together
- Look for lines that straddle a cut. They are usually easy to spot on a second viewing.
- Prefer cutting where the speaker pauses. A pause is a natural break for both picture and text at once.
- Give a new scene a moment before new words. A fraction of a second of picture alone lets the eye settle.
Watch one of your own clips and look for a line crossing a cut.
Questions people ask
- Does this apply to single shot clips?
- Less so, because there are no cuts to fight with. It matters most in edited clips and in anything cutting between two camera angles.
- What about a cut in the middle of a word?
- That is the worst case, because the viewer loses both the word and the shot. Moving the cut a fraction either way fixes it.
- Do platform transitions count as cuts?
- Anything that changes the whole picture behaves the same way for attention purposes, including a hard change in what is on screen.
- Is it better to cut on the beat of speech?
- Cutting on a pause is more reliable than cutting on a rhythm, because a pause is where the viewer is already between thoughts.
- Where do I check this?
- Watching the produced clip once at normal speed shows it immediately, which is worth doing before posting.
- Does this matter in a single shot clip?
- Barely, because there are no cuts to fight with. It matters most in edited clips and anything cutting between two camera angles.
- How do I find these?
- Watch the produced clip once at normal speed. A line crossing a cut is obvious on a single viewing and invisible in a timeline.