Chapter 26 — Quiz

Twenty-six questions to check that the fundamentals stuck: the timeline, the cut, transitions, pacing, and the assembly. Mix of multiple choice, true/false (with justification), short answer, and "what's wrong with this edit?" perception questions. Answers and a review map are at the end — try the whole set before you look.

Multiple choice

1. The "non-linear" in NLE refers to: a) editing only in slow motion b) the ability to arrange and rearrange clips freely without redoing the rest c) exporting in a non-standard codec d) shooting without a script

2. On a timeline, a clip on V2 relative to a clip at the same time on V1: a) plays after it b) plays its audio only c) sits on top of it, covering it d) is ignored

3. The fundamental unit of editing is: a) the dissolve b) the transition c) the cut d) the fade

4. A dissolve most commonly signals to a viewer: a) an error b) that time has passed, or that two things are connected c) the loudest moment d) a change of camera brand

5. A fade to black is best used: a) between every shot b) at a true ending or a major section break c) to fix a jump cut d) only in horror

6. "Handles" are: a) the timeline's scroll bars b) extra frames beyond the cut point that a dissolve or a trim needs c) the names of your bins d) audio-only clips

7. Quick, short shots tend to make a viewer feel: a) calm and patient b) sleepy c) energized or tense d) nothing — pace has no effect

8. The single timeline setting that causes the most trouble if it doesn't match your footage is: a) the project name b) the frame rate (fps) c) the track colors d) the export folder

9. An assembly (first cut) is supposed to be: a) fully color-graded b) rough — every keeper shot in order, no polish c) scored with music first d) exactly the final length

10. The most reliable single improvement to a too-slow first cut is to: a) add transitions b) add music c) tighten nearly every shot (trim heads and tails) d) export at a higher resolution

11. You cut the boring middle out of one locked-off shot and the subject appears to jump. This is: a) a dissolve b) a jump cut c) correct and desirable d) a frame-rate error

12. The professional default transition, used the vast majority of the time, is: a) the cross-zoom b) the wipe c) the plain cut d) the dissolve

True / False (justify in one sentence)

13. A good cut is usually invisible to the viewer.

14. Adding a dissolve is the correct first move when a cut "feels too abrupt."

15. You can create a dissolve between two shots even if the camera stopped the instant each action ended.

16. Pacing is a physical effect — the viewer feels the cut rate in their body, below conscious attention.

17. The assembly's job is to make the scene watchable as a whole so you can judge and shape it.

18. "The cut is a thought" means a cut is mainly a mechanical way to glue two clips together.

Short answer

19. In one sentence each, define: (a) the timeline, (b) the cut, (c) pacing.

20. Name the two transitions you will actually use often, and what each means to a viewer.

21. Give the four steps of building an assembly, in order.

22. Why do you shoot coverage (multiple sizes) if you're going to pick "the best" shot anyway? Answer in terms of the edit.

What's wrong with this edit? (perception)

23. A described edit: every single cut in a 90-second corporate video has a half-second dissolve on it; the client says it feels "soft and slow." Name the problem and the fix.

24. A described edit: an interview cuts from a medium of the speaker to a slightly tighter medium of the same speaker, and their head visibly jumps. What rule was skated, and what are two fixes?

25. A described edit: a tense chase sequence is cut entirely in long, five-second holds. The editor is baffled that it feels flat. What's wrong, and what would you change?

26. A described edit: a montage of a shop across decades cuts hard from "1985" to "today" with no signal of time passing, and viewers are confused about whether it's a flashback or the present. What single tool would clarify it, and why?

Applying it (scenario)

27. You import your footage and the timeline was left at its default 30 fps, but you shot 24 fps. Motion judders on playback. What went wrong in terms of the timeline's timebase, and what's the fix?

28. You have a 45-second first cut that drags. You are forbidden from removing any shots (the client wants all of them). Name two pacing moves you can still make to give it energy.

29. In your Café assembly, you want the viewer to feel that the reaction to the message matters. Name the specific editing move — not an effect — that delivers that, and say why it works.

Answer Key

Reveal answers and review map **1. b** — Non-linear = rearrange freely without redoing downstream work. (§26.1) **2. c** — Higher video tracks sit on top of lower ones (B-roll/titles on V2 cover V1). (§26.1) **3. c** — The cut; every other move is a variation or decoration of it. (§26.2) **4. b** — "Time passed" or "these two things are connected." (§26.3) **5. b** — A curtain: true endings and major section breaks (fade *in* = a beginning). (§26.3) **6. b** — Extra frames beyond the cut point that overlaps/trims need; they only exist if you rolled before and after. (§26.3) **7. c** — Quick cuts raise energy/tension; long holds add calm/weight. (§26.4) **8. b** — Frame rate; a mismatch forces added/dropped frames and motion judders. (§26.1) **9. b** — Rough by design: keeper shots in story order, no polish, so you can see the whole. (§26.5) **10. c** — Tighten nearly every shot; first assemblies are almost always too slow. (§26.4/26.5) **11. b** — A jump cut (Ch.9, §9.4); usually an accident of trimming one shot to itself. (§26.2) **12. c** — The plain cut, ~99% of the time. (§26.3) **13. True** — It arrives where attention would shift anyway (like a blink), matching an edit the brain was already about to make. (§26.2) **14. False** — The professional first move is to fix the *cut* (retime it, cut on a movement); smearing a dissolve over bad timing only hides it. (§26.3) **15. False** — A dissolve needs handles (extra frames to overlap); if the camera stopped at the action's end there's nothing to dissolve with. (§26.3) **16. True** — Rhythm is physical; the nervous system entrains to the rate of change on screen. (§26.4) **17. True** — You cannot fix what you cannot see whole; the assembly makes it see-able. (§26.5) **18. False** — A cut is a *decision about where the viewer's mind should go next* — a thought, not a staple. (§26.2) **19.** (a) The timeline is the horizontal workspace where clips are arranged in time on stacked tracks (horizontal = time, vertical = layers). (b) The cut is the instantaneous join between two shots — the last frame of one followed immediately by the first frame of the next. (c) Pacing is the rate and rhythm at which shots change — how long each is held and how fast cuts come. (§26.1, §26.2, §26.4) **20.** The dissolve (means "time passed" or "connected") and the fade to/from black (a curtain — beginnings, endings, hard section breaks). (§26.3) **21.** (1) Pick your keeper takes; (2) lay them on V1 in story order, end to end; (3) watch the whole thing through once, looking for the shape; (4) then shape — trim the fat, set the pace, move shots. (§26.5) **22.** The edit needs *choices*: to cut between sizes without jumping, to hide flubs and jumps, to control emphasis and pace, and to establish then intensify. One size is a hostage video you can't cut. (§26.2/26.5; Ch.7, Ch.20) **23.** Dissolve-itis — a transition on every cut. Default to the plain cut; keep a dissolve only where it specifically means "time passed." Most or all of the dissolves should become straight cuts, which will restore energy. (§26.3) **24.** The 30-degree guideline / avoiding jump cuts (Ch.9, §9.4): cutting between two too-similar framings of the same subject makes it jump. Fixes: cut to a *different* shot size or angle instead, or lay a cutaway over the join (or cut on a natural pause). (§26.2; Ch.9, Ch.20) **25.** Pace fights the content: a chase wants a *rising, quick* cut rate to build tension; five-second holds drain the urgency. Shorten the shots, accelerate toward the climax, then release on one hold. (§26.4) **26.** A dissolve — it reads as "time has passed," clarifying that we've jumped forward across decades rather than cutting to the present instant or a flashback. (Length can grade how much time.) (§26.3) **27.** The timeline has a fixed timebase (a frames-per-second grid); `24 fps` footage on a `30 fps` timeline forces the editor to add/duplicate frames to fit, which shows as judder. Fix: rebuild the timeline at `24 fps` to match the footage (or let the editor build the timeline from the clip). (§26.1) **28.** (1) Tighten every shot — trim heads and tails to the meat (the "20% shorter" move); (2) vary the rhythm — hold the one important beat and quicken the rest, so the piece has *shape* instead of one draggy speed. (Reordering to front-load a stronger shot also helps.) (§26.4) **29.** The **hold** — cutting *into* the push-in on the reaction and refusing to cut away for several seconds. Shot length is emphasis: staying on a beat tells the viewer, below conscious attention, "this matters, stay here." Pure pacing, not an effect. (§26.4, §26.6)

Topics to review by question

  • Timeline & NLE (1, 2, 8, 22, 27): §26.1 and the anatomy figure (FIGURE 26.1).
  • The cut (3, 11, 13, 18, 24): §26.2 — the fundamental unit; invisibility; jump cuts.
  • Transitions (4, 5, 6, 12, 14, 15, 23, 26): §26.3 — dissolve, fade, handles, restraint.
  • Pacing (7, 10, 16, 25, 28, 29): §26.4 — cut rate, the hold, tightening.
  • The assembly (9, 17, 21, 22): §26.5 — the rough first cut and its four steps.
  • Cross-chapter (11, 22, 24): Chapters 7 (coverage, the line) and 20 (cutaways/B-roll).