Watch: 12-Minute Video Essay Breaks Down The Art Of Movie Editing

In a strange way, the art of editing is the art of going unnoticed. Of course, it’s much, much more than just that, but the primary objective of film editing is to piece together hundreds of shots and scenes into a cohesive and compelling whole. To do this, cuts and transitions between scenes can’t call too much attention to themselves, lest the suspension of disbelief shatter under the weight of the present artifice. Even with its own Oscar category (Margaret Sixel took home the trophy this year for her work on “Mad Max: Fury Road”) it’s a shamefully overlooked art.

READ MORE: Watch: 8-Minute Video Essay Explains How “Oh F*ck” Film Moments Are Created Through Editing

To break down some of the finer points of cuts and transitions RocketJump Film School (via A.V. Club) has put together a great new video essay. The video starts with the basics, like cutting on action, the cut away, and the cross cut; the things that make up the bulk of most films, the majority of which go...