Cutting on Action (cut on action)

Cutting on Action (cut on action) is a film-editing technique in which the editor cuts from one view in one shot to another view in another shot that matches the action and energy of the first shot. Although the two shots may have actually been shot hours apart from each other and in completely different shooting locations (i.e. set vs. location), the convention of cutting on action helps to convey the impression of continuous time and space when watching the edited film.

By having a subject begin an action in one shot and continue or complete it in the next, the editor creates a kind of visual bridge. This distracts the viewer’s attention from the cut or from noticing any slight continuity errors between the two shots.