Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time in two different locations. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut

Cut (filmmaking)

In the post-production process of film editing and video editing, a cut is an abrupt, but usually trivial film transition from one sequence to another. It is synonymous with the term edit, though "edit" can imply any number of transitions or effects. The cut, dissolve and wipe serve as the three...

 away from one action to another action, which can suggest the simultaneity of these two actions but this is not always the case.

Suspense may be added by cross-cutting. It is built through the expectations that it creates and in the hopes that it will be explained with time. Cross-cutting also forms parallels; it illustrates a narrative action that happens in several places at approximately the same time. For instance, in D.W. Griffith's A Corner in Wheat

A Corner in Wheat

A Corner in Wheat is a 1909 American short film which tells of a greedy tycoon who tries to corner the world market on wheat, destroying the lives of the people who can no longer afford to buy bread. It was directed by D. W. Griffith and adapted by Griffith and Frank E...

(1909), the film cross-cuts between the activities of rich businessmen and poor people waiting in line for bread. This creates a sharp dichotomy between the two actions, and encourages the viewer to compare the two shots. Often, this contrast is used for strong emotional effect, and frequently at the climax of a film. The rhythm of, or length of time between, cross-cuts can also set the rhythm of a scene. Increasing the rapidity between two different actions may add tension to a scene, much in the same manner of using short, declarative sentences in a work of literature.

Cross-cutting was established as a filmmaking technique relatively early in film history (one example would be Louis J. Gasnier's 1908 short The Runaway Horse) and Griffith was its most famous practitioner. The technique is showcased in his Biograph

American Mutoscope and Biograph Company

The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1928. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition, and for two decades was one of the most prolific, releasing over three thousand short...

 work, such as A Corner in Wheat and 1911's The Lonedale Operator

The Lonedale Operator

The Lonedale Operator is a 1911 short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. A print of the film survives in the film archive of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City....

. His 1915 film, The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation is a 1915 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and based on the novel and play The Clansman, both by Thomas Dixon, Jr. Griffith also co-wrote the screenplay , and co-produced the film . It was released on February 8, 1915...

, contains textbook examples of cross-cutting and firmly established it as a staple of film editing. Mrinal Sen

Mrinal Sen

Mrinal Sen is a Bengali Indian filmmaker. He was born on 14 May 1923, in the town of Faridpur, now in Bangladesh in a Hindu family. After finishing his high school there, he left home to come to Calcutta as a student and studied physics at the well-known Scottish Church College and at the...

 has used cross-cutting effectively in his agit-prop film Interview

Interview (1971 film)

Interview was a 1973 Bengali film directed by noted Indian art film director Mrinal Sen. A path-breaking film in terms of the narrative innovation and cinematic technique, it was a commercial success went to run for six weeks amidst gushing admiration and accolades, when it was screened first. It...

 which became quite popular after this.

See also

• Buffer shot
  Buffer shot
  A "buffer shot" is a film technique of inserting a shot into a film to disguise a mistake, or a cut. Buffer shots are often known as "cheat shots."...
  
  
• Cutaway (filmmaking)
• Dissolve (filmmaking)
  Dissolve (filmmaking)
  In the post-production process of film editing and video editing, a dissolve is a gradual transition from one image to another. The terms fade-out and fade-in and are used to describe a transition to and from a blank image. This is in contrast to a cut where there is no such transition. A dissolve...
  
  
• Fast cutting
  Fast cutting
  Fast cutting is a film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration . It can be used to convey a lot of information very quickly, or to imply either energy or chaos...
  
  
• Jump cut
  Jump cut
  A jump cut is a cut in film editing and vloging in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way...
  
  
• Match cut
  Match cut
  A match cut, also called a graphic match, is a cut in film editing between either two different objects, two different spaces, or two different compositions in which an object in the two shots graphically match, often helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two shots...
  
  
• Shot reverse shot
  Shot reverse shot
  Shot reverse shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character , and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character...
  
  
• Slow cutting
  Slow cutting
  Slow cutting is a film editing technique which uses shots of long duration. Though it depends on context, it is estimated that any shot longer than about fifteen seconds will seem rather slow to viewers from Western cultures....