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Filmmaking Technique: Dissolve in Filmmaking And How to Use a Dissolve Transition
by eguaogie-eghosa Feb 20, 2022 Views (1K)

A video editor employs special effects and video transitions in postproduction to bring a film to life and give it significance. Dissolve transitions are a well-known technique. A video editor employs special effects and video transitions in postproduction to bring a film to life and give it significance. Dissolve transitions are a well-known technique.

What Is a Dissolve?

A dissolve, sometimes known as a lap dissolve, is a progressive transition from one image to the next, with the first image gradually dissipating while the second image appears. Both pictures overlap for a short amount of time during a dissolve, mixing in superimposition (also known as double exposure or multiple exposures in photography).

The amount of time the two photos are stacked can have a big impact on the dissolve effect. A third shot is generated when the blended pieces join and interact to form a whole greater than the sum of its parts, for whatever long the two (or more) photos overlap.

A dissolve has a purpose: it tells the spectator that two related shots belong together in a sequence and that the story is consistent from one shot to the next. A dissolve is a different kind of transition than a straight cut, which leaps to the next shot or scene right away.

The dissolve effect was popularized by French New Wave filmmakers in the 1950s, who preferred it to jump cuts since it purposely linked two scenes together.

How to Use a Dissolve.

Film editors employed an optical printer to create dissolves fades, and other special effects before digital video editing tools were available. An optical printer is a piece of equipment that assembles different elements of a film into a single "optical composition." Live-action footage, animation, and models could all be combined into a single shot by an editor. An optical printer was used to create a composite of the entering and exiting scenes in order to establish where one should end and the other should begin for a dissolve.

Thanks to video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro, generating a dissolve is considerably easier nowadays. While you don't need to know how to use an optical printer to generate a dissolve, you need to be aware of the fundamentals, such as the fact that most dissolve transitions run between 24 and 48 frames (lasting about one to two seconds). The length of the dissolve is determined by the atmosphere and/or timing that the filmmaker and editor want to portray to the audience. A quick dissolve communicates energy and speed, but a slower dissolve might convey romantic or dream-like effects. Director Orson Welles, for example, employed long, dramatic dissolves to convey a sense of sorrow at times and fast dissolves to infuse liveliness at other times in Citizen Kane (1941).

Dissolves Come in Three Forms:

1. A match dissolve is a sort of dissolve that employs parallel pictures, or two images with the same composition within the frame, such as two faces. The first image fades into a similar-looking second image.

2. Fade In: A transition from a blank screen to a picture is called a fade-in.

3. Fade Out: When a transition from a picture to a blank screen fades out, it is known as fading out.

When Should a Dissolve Be Used?

A dissolve is a sophisticated film editing tool that may perform the following tasks:

1. Join two or more photographs in a meaningful way. A dissolve between two pictures indicates that they are connected and belong together. Use a dissolve to show how one shot relates to the next.

2. Indicate a time and/or location shift. A dissolve denotes the transition from one scene to the next. A dissolve transition communicates that the next scene takes place in a different time and/or place, whether later that day or later that week, because of its strong feeling of finality. When demonstrating a long period of time, such as years or even decades, a dissolve transition is particularly beneficial.

3. The scene shifts to something weird. A dissolve is a great approach to transition into a more surreal or abstract scene. When you're starting a dream sequence, a flashback sequence, or going inside a character's head, use one to signify such.

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