In
film, an insert is a shot of part of a
scene
Scene (from Greek σκηνή ''skēnḗ'') may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Scene (subculture), a youth subculture from the early 2000s characterized by a distinct music and style. Groups and performers
* The Scene who reco ...
as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the
master shot. Inserts cover action already covered in the master shot, but emphasize a different aspect of that action due to the different framing. An insert differs from a
cutaway as cutaways cover action ''not'' covered in the master shot.
There are more exact terms to use when the new, inserted shot is another view of actors:
close-up,
head shot, knee shot,
two shot
A two shot is a type of shot in which the frame encompasses two people (the subjects). The subjects do not have to be next to each other, and there are many common two shots which have one subject in the foreground and the other subject in the b ...
. So the term "insert" is often confined to views of objects—and body parts, other than the head. Often inserts of this sort are done separately from the main action, by a second-unit director using stand-ins.
Inserts and
cutaways can both be vexatious for directors, as care must be taken to preserve
continuity by keeping the objects in the same relative position as in the main take, and having the lighting be the same.
In popular culture
The 1975 movie ''
Inserts'' directed by
John Byrum
John Byrum is an American film director, and writer known for ''The Razor's Edge'', '' Heart Beat'', ''Duets'' and '' Inserts''.
Early life
Raised in Winnetka, Illinois, on the North Shore of Chicago, Byrum attended New Trier High School, and l ...
about a
pornographic film production, which starred
Richard Dreyfuss and was originally released with an
X rating
An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences.
Aust ...
, took its name from the double meaning that "insert" both refers to this film technique
(often used in pornographic filmmaking) and to sexual intercourse.
See also
*
Continuity editing
Continuity editing is the process, in film and video creation, of combining more-or-less related shots, or different components cut from a single shot, into a sequence to direct the viewer's attention to a pre-existing consistency of story across b ...
*
Cutaway (filmmaking)
References
Cinematography
Cinematic techniques
Film editing
Pornography terminology
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