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.