A cutaway is a video editing technique where the main footage briefly cuts to a different shot — often an object, location, or reaction — before returning to the primary scene. Cutaways are used to add context, show detail, illustrate a point, or cover edits in the main footage.
Cutaways are a widely used storytelling tool in documentaries, news segments, educational videos, interviews, and training content.
Cutaways make video storytelling richer, clearer, and more professional.
Benefits include:
Adding visual context that supports the spoken narrative
Covering edit points or jump cuts in interview footage
Keeping viewers visually engaged during longer explanations
Highlighting important details, objects, or locations
Creating a more dynamic and cinematic viewing experience
Educators, journalists, and creators use cutaways to support their main message with visuals that reinforce what is being said or shown.
Education: While explaining how photosynthesis works, a teacher cuts away to footage of sunlight hitting leaves in a garden to visually reinforce the concept.
Business and Training: During an interview-style onboarding video, the editor cuts away to footage of employees working in the office to support the narrator's description of company culture.
Marketing and Content Creation: A product review creator cuts away to close-up shots of the product's features while their voiceover continues explaining the key benefits.