Match cuts are simply straight cuts where the action is continuous through the edit. Soap operas and other forms of live television that are shot with multiple cameras often use match cuts to change camera angles.
Chris Marker captured the concept of the match cut using just a single still camera in his famous film made entirely of stills, LA JETEE (1962).
Using a large number of cameras and rapid editing the match cut can function purely as a multi-camera editing technique, as in Lars Von Trier's DANCER IN THE DARK (2000), in which over one hundred video cameras were used to allow for rapid cuts between over one hundred unique fixed perspectives. This set-up allowed scenes with limitless editing possibilities to be shot in one take.
Using Digital Air's camera systems match cuts can naturally blend in and out of smooth virtual camera movement by using sections of cameras which are arranged in curvilinear sequences.
Lars Von Trier's DANCER IN THE DARK
EXAMPLE - MATCH CUT
Project: match cut test
Equipment: Movia 36 camera HD-1 digital system
(32 cameras in a 360 degree ring, 4 overhead)
This example of the match cut technique was recorded with 36 Movia HD-1 digital cameras recording full frame uncompressed HD images synchronously at 30 fps. Because the cameras were in a circle any frame in the sequence could be turned into a frozen moment.
