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The ONLY 7 Cuts You Need To Tell Any Story | Tim Runia | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: The ONLY 7 Cuts You Need To Tell Any Story
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Summary
Core Theme
Effective video storytelling relies on simple, intentional editing cuts that guide the viewer's attention and enhance the narrative, rather than complex effects.
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I used to think that a good edit had a
lot of layers, a lot of effects, and
even more transitions. But after 15
years of being a filmmaker and editing
hundreds, if not thousands of videos, I
realized that great storytelling doesn't
come from complicated edits. It comes
from simple, intentional cuts that
actually make the story feel like a
story. So today, I will walk you through
the only seven cuts you really need with
editing because these are cuts that I
keep coming back to no matter what kind
of video I'm making. So, let's start
with one of my favorites, the flow cut.
This is when your shots feel like
they're dancing together. It's smooth
and invisible. So, here's the basic
idea. When something moves in your
frame, like a person or an object, or it
could even be the camera itself, your
viewers's eyes start to follow that
motion. And if your next shot picks up
that movement in the same direction,
their eyes just keep going effortlessly.
For example, this marker being dragged
up followed by a new shot that continues
the upward motion from the camera. You
can notice here my hand goes up in the
first shot and in the next that upward
motion continues with the camera
movement. So your eyes are guided
upward. If instead the first motion goes
up and the next shot starts going the
opposite corner or going sideways,
that's friction and the viewer will feel
the cut. So start thinking of editing a
bit more like choreography. You know, if
you guide the eyes naturally, the viewer
won't notice the cut and they will just
stay inside of the story. That's what
you want. So, the next time you edit,
look for flow in the motion. Is your
subject moving? Is your camera moving?
And can you connect those directions
from one shot to the next?
Where the flow cut is really about
smooth transitions, this one is about
disruption, actually. And that's really
why it works so well because a smash cut
is when you intentionally break the
rhythm. So it's a sudden cut from one
scene to a completely different one. And
it often works best when music or the
sound cuts out too because that really
grabs attention and it creates contrast
and it tells the viewer, "Hey, pay
attention because something just
changed." What started out as random fun
projects with a friend turned into a
full-blown creative video agency. Small
jobs became bigger ones. But as things
>> Okay, now
>> so what makes this cut really powerful
is the emotional reset it adds. And this
can add humor or tension or simply just
keep the viewer from falling into a
predictable rhythm. So yeah, really try
to use this when you want to create
energy or surprise or highlight the
turning point and really get the
viewer's attention. Just don't overdo it
because you know surprise only works if
and by the way, if you ever get stuck on
figuring out what to shoot or how to
shape your story before editing, I made
something that might help and it's
called the story starter kit. So, if
that sounds interesting, you can find
more info in the description. But now,
let's talk about the jump cut.
The jump cut gets a bad reputation
because it's used like this in talking
head videos, but it's actually one of
the most practical cuts there is because
you're staying in the same shot, but you
skip forward in time. Like here where
I'm sitting down to work and I'm being
frustrated for not getting anything
done. Same frame, different moments,
quick jumps. This is also one of those
cuts that I really like to land on
exactly the beat because that just feels
good sometimes. But I reminded myself
why. So, it's a great way to show
progress, repetition, or speed something
up. And you can use it to make a scene
fast or chaotic or also for fun. And
that energy is exactly what keeps it
interesting, I think.
So, the action cut is all about editing
in the middle of movement. So, when you
cut during an action, like sitting down
for example, the motion continues across
the cut. It feels smooth and it feels
natural because your viewer's brain is
already following the movement just like
in a flow cut. Here I'm sitting down and
right at the moment of sitting cut to
the close shot in the action. And you
know it doesn't have to be fast or
dramatic. Even a slow calm action can
really go fluid if you cut it right in
the middle of it. The key here is again
to guide the viewer's eyes. If their
attention stays on the same spot in the
frame, the cut becomes almost invisible.
Like here, this balloon is floating
slowly and then I cut to a close-up. But
because the dream sticker stays in the
exact same place on the screen, your
eyes don't have to move. So the cut
feels right. And sometimes, you know,
just a few frames earlier or later can
really make the difference. So really
pay attention to that. But yeah, that's
the magic of the action cut and it can
really make everything feel alive. So
try this in your next edit because it
might only take a few frames to make
your story click a lot better.
So yeah, this is actually not a single
cut. It's more like a sequence of cuts
that work together so you can guide the
viewer through a moment. And it's super
basic, but basic doesn't mean to have
boring. And I use it all of the time.
I'm talking about the wide, medium,
close pattern. So you start with a wide
shot to show us where we are, then a
medium to show what's happening, and
then a closeup to show details or show
emotion. So, from wide to medium to
close. And this gives your story
structure and it gives your audience
clarity. And it just works because
clarity is really important. And I still
use this combination all of the time.
And once you've used this enough, you
will start to feel when to change it up.
You know, maybe you will skip the medium
entirely for a more of emotional kind of
hit, going from wide to close
immediately. Or you flip it around and
you start close to only reveal the full
picture in the end to surprise the
viewer that someone is actually in a
desert. For example,
>> I didn't even recognize where I was anymore.
anymore.
>> But before you break that pattern, maybe
start working with it first because it's
really one of the most easiest ways to
bring some clarity into your edit. And
that clarity is really important for
your viewers.
So this is one of the most satisfying
cuts when you pull it off right. It's
called a match cut and it connects two
shots using something visually similar.
So that could be a shape or subject in
the same position within the frame. And
it's kind of a way to say that these two
things belong together. So it can link
moments in time or places or you can use
it to create metaphors. I really use
this when I want to show a connection
between things like a past version of me
turning into the present one or to have
a smooth transition between two
completely different scenes that I
wanted to be a YouTuber just like half
of the world today. And if you're
matching people, there's one trick
that's really important to remember and
that's that you try to match the eye
position across the cut because when the
eyes stay in the same place on the
screen, the transition will feel way
more natural. So try using a match cut
next time to intentionally connect two
things that mean something together.
You know sometimes the most important
part of a cut is when it actually
happens. Editing is rhythm and if your
video moves at the same pace the whole
time your audience will sure start to
tune out. So paying attention to the
speed of your cuts is how you keep them
engaged by shifting the tempo. The
faster cuts here are building tension
and the slower cuts are there to let
>> It's all about contrast just like music
needs climax and it needs a release. And
I use this when I want to change the
energy of a scene or guide the viewer
into how I want them to feel exciting or
calm or emotional or chaotic. And if
your video feels too flat or too
chaotic, try playing with the speed of
your cuts. It's really one of the
easiest ways to shape emotion. And you
know, the truth is editing is always a
bit of a puzzle and there's always a
point where it feels like it's not going
to work. But I want you to know that
that's really normal because if you're
hitting a wall, it probably means that
you're close to something special or
something meaningful. And if you do want
some help from start to finish, if
you're unsure what to shoot or how to
shape a story that actually flows,
that's exactly why I created the story
starter kit. It gives you a simple,
repeatable storytelling method. You will
write your story with clear templates,
plan your shots with a visual guide, and
then move into the edit with confidence
using my pre-built editing templates and
a step-by-step video walk through. And I
also just upgraded the kit with the
seven cuts guide. It's a seven-page
guide with a summary and extra
information about the seven cuts in this
video. So, the link is in the
description if that sounds helpful. And
one last tip before we wrap up, you
don't need to cram all these seven cuts
into one video. Just ask yourself, what
does this moment need? Does it need a
smooth flow, a surprise, or a shift in
rhythm maybe? And just pick the cut that
serves that moment best. From there, you
can always build further. Now, if you
want to learn how to shape that story
from the very beginning, check out this
video next where I'll walk you through
the five line story method that I use to
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