Transitions

The process of cutting from one shot to another usually involves a simple straight cut. However there are other means of transitions available to a film editor:

• Fade to black
• Dissolve/cross fade
• Wipe

etc...

A pattern of fade out followed by fade in suggests a conclusion to the previous scene and the beginning of a new one, or could seperate a flashback sequence.

Dissolve or cross fade - the preceding shot merges into the following shot, resulting in the two shots being superimposed. The longer the dissolve the more noticeable the superimposition becomes.