The Cross Cut/ Parallel edit

The Cross Cut/ Parallel edit 

The cross cut can also be known as a parallel edit and is when an editor cuts between two scenes in separate locations. A good example of this could be during a scene in which a phone call is taking place as the editor would cut back and forth to the characters on either side of the conversation. This can be a seamless way to bring two people in two different locations together and erase the distance between them in the mind of the viewer. 

The cross cut can also be used to intensify the action of a scene as two separate scenes can be cut together to show the actions of two different characters simultaneously. This can be effective as an audience may be unaware of the distance between the characters and the time at which their separate events are taking place. An example of this can be found in Homeland as the protagonist is searching for the antagonist in a warehouse. We see both characters in their respective locations side by side and it is only when the protagonist realises that the antagonist that we are made aware of the fact that these shots are not in real time and that they have already escaped. In this example we are given a more cohesive view of the action while tension is built and when two separate scenes coincide the scene climaxes and we are given the payoff that the scene has been building too