Movie Tutorial 4: Cutaways - another pro tip nicked!

Views are BY FAR the most employed cutaway, and the main reason people feel short-changed by a video if they don’t get enough, as views are relied upon to add inspiration. Think of a cutaway as anything which doesn’t feature a person. Use a tripod or a solid platform like a rock when you can.

And just to ram it home, here’s another. For videos showing people what a particular location is like, you  can’t have enough of these. If you find yourself with a comfortable roadside position with ten minutes to spare, take some static views of mountains – they are great scene setters.

If you’re stuck for inspiration (or just stuck for a decent cutaway) shoot footage of gesticulating hands. Useful to vary a scene where you're describing something (an experience or moment that felt particularly dramatic to you, say) which wouldn’t work with a landscape cutaway.

Use if you want to interview someone in your clip. It's basically just a shot of someone (probably you) nodding in agreement to something that is being said. This varies a scene, and reminds the viewer the person being interviewed is actually talking to someone – and is being utterly enthralling to boot.

It does of course help if it relates to the story, but even a brief shot of someone doing up a jacket, tying a boot, fiddling with a rucksack or adjusting a hat can give variety to a dull scene or add even more depth to a good one.

The easiest cutaway of all: something interesting and static. Even a seemingly boring element like grass of a stripe of quartz in a rock can build a fuller picture of a place or subject.