The Iris Transition

The Iris Transition 

The Iris is a transition that has a scene that goes to black throw an iris that closes around the character or object of interest in a scene. This transition was originally done within the camera manually, fading out the rest of the scene as it focusses on the character before that fades out as well. However, in the modern era of filmmaking with editing technology being far beyond what it was so the iris need no longer be used merely for practicality purposes. Despite a physical need for an iris transition, it is still used for stylistic purposes. The iris is an effective transition as it is able to leave a lasting impression by ending a scene with one point of focus of the scene being the last thing to go back, this can emphasise the importance of this facet to an audience or be used to foreshadow what might happen to these characters. 

Alternatively, the iris transition can be used within a scene to similar effect. The original use of the iris transition was to transition between scenes but nowadays it is also used to transition between shots in the same scene and instead of fading completely to black, an iris forms around whatever the director or editor is trying to show the audience to be significant. An example of this could be at a party as one character searches for the person they are looking for and an iris forms around that person. In this example the iris also has a telescopic effect; as the unnecessary details of the shot are blacked out, our eyes are able to focus on what the editor wants them to see which gives the effect of a closer proximity and closer image. However, whether transitioning between scenes or shots within a scene, the iris is an effective tool for editors to portray what they want, whether it be to leave that as a lasting impression of a scene or highlight something within it.