Beyond the Cut – Dissolves, Morphs, and Other Transitions

MZed Education

by Mascha DeikovaJuly 10^th, 2026

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We are used to cuts in films and videos. They are our basic grammar in the language of cinema. But what about other ways to transition from one scene to another? Many years ago, when I was studying to become a TV journalist, our professor recommended a “dip to white” as a go-to editing solution. Nowadays, almost nobody uses it. Yet can we? When? Why? Let’s talk about dissolves, morphs, and other transitions, and establish their place in films!

Recently, I hosted “The Mighty Cut” webinar for MZed, where we discussed the narrative powers of setting – or not setting – a cut. (You can find the recording here.) We approached editing as the assembly of pieces, and one of the main driving forces that moves the story forward. We also analyzed some of the stylistic choices that help to create an impressive transition from one scene to another. For instance, we looked at the so-called match cuts, where we match the framing, continue the action in the next shot, or include a proper audio bridge. (To read more about various match cut arts, head over here.)    

At the end of our webinar, someone asked an excellent question in the chat: “And what about other types of transitions? When is it appropriate to use, say, a dissolve?” I know that a lot of filmmakers consider those to be bad taste. “Only in dreams,” was someone’s direct reply. So, why not dive into this topic a bit deeper?

Dissolves as transitions and their goal

Before we jump into curious examples across all genres, let’s get some definitions straight. In the textbook “Cinematic Storytelling,” a dissolve is defined like this:

Dissolves blend one shot into another. This is achieved optically by fading out the first shot while the second shot fades up. A dissolve softens a cut. It can be brief or extended depending on how “soft” the filmmakers want the effect to be. Dissolves have been a staple technique since the 1920s.

So yes, this tool used to be much more popular. Filmmakers established that it can “marry” two spaces or eras – just like a cut does (hello, Eisenstein’s “intellectual montage”!), but in a more pronounced way. Think of it as a visual bridge that instantly gives our brains a cue: These shots are intrinsically linked.

We see this beautifully executed in the haunting opening of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” above. As Captain Willard’s face slowly dissolves over the burning jungle and the swirling helicopters, the physical boundary between this environment and his psyche vanishes. The dissolve transfers a powerful message that the war isn’t just happening out there. It is burning inside his head, driving him crazy. Would you say that this was a “bad taste” decision? I wouldn’t.

Dissolves for dream sequences

This soft blending effect of a dissolve evokes the sensation of slowly drifting into a dreamlike state. (At least, that’s how I feel in the rare minutes between day and night.) No wonder it became a go-to transition in the Golden Age of Hollywood to seamlessly take the audience inside a character’s head, bridging reality with a surreal sequence, flashback, or memory.

Here, for example, is a famous dissolve from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Spellbound.” It was his iconic collaboration with the maestro Salvador Dalí, who designed this dream sequence:

We saw dissolve transitions in such cases so often that we naturally came to believe they signaled entry into a dream or an otherworldly reality. So, when Christopher Nolan made “Inception” without dissolves, it created a different level of immersion and narrative. In his story, sharp cuts make much more sense. The characters are, after all, professionals, trying to hide the fact that they are altering dreams.

Thematic connections and compressing time

Beyond crafting a link between the external and the internal, or accompanying the characters into a dream state, dissolves can create conceptual parallels and thematic connections. For instance, in the BBC’s “Sherlock” series, the editing team relies on slick dissolves paired with speed ramps to visualize the detective’s rapid-fire deductions. Watch closely from 02:17:

Instead of jumping abruptly between clues, the frames melt into one another, compressing hours of meticulous deduction work into a few hyper-fast seconds. This specific application of the dissolve allows the audience to feel the overwhelming, fluid rush of Sherlock’s high-functioning intellect. So, the tool helps the filmmakers to carefully craft the character. In my opinion, “Sherlock” is a great modern series, and I bet, also in this case, no one would call using dissolves cringe. They are used intentionally and aid the story.

The digital morphing as a transition

But enough about dissolves! Let’s also quickly stop at morphing. Actually, it is a visual effects technique that mathematically transforms the geometry of one image or shape directly into another. It has evolved from practical in-camera optical tricks and animation, and became an iconic digital must-have in 1990s Hollywood, famously pioneered by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Allegedly, David Fincher loved using morphs to stitch together different takes to achieve the best performance in the end. However, morphing naturally also has its narrative use. One of the most prominent examples is this scene in “Saving Private Ryan” (from 01:28):

As the camera pushes directly into the eyes of a young, grieving Ryan on the battlefield, the frame morphs seamlessly into the weathered face of his older self, standing at the Normandy cemetery decades later. How does it feel to you?

Because there are no hard cuts (or jump cuts, for example), it feels as though this past trauma bleeds directly into the grief of the present. It connects the protagonist to his haunting memories and traps us in this loop with him. It’s emotional and touching. If Spielberg had decided to cut here, he would have probably softened the blow.

Blorphing

Another technology that builds on morphing is called “blorphing” (blend/morph). It is mostly used to transition between environments. In fact, it was crafted by Digital Domain studio for the final sweeping long shot of “Titanic.”

As the camera dives deep down into the murky wreckage of the sunken ship, the frame seamlessly morphs and blends into its lively, brightly-lit version from 1912. All in one take. The result: It makes the ghost ship come to life right before our eyes, just like memories sometimes do in our heads. A beautiful visual metaphor, isn’t it?

The graphic curtain of the wipe

The next transition we should definitely touch on is a wipe. A wipe is exactly what it sounds like: it is when one shot replaces another shot from a specific direction or with a specific geometric shape. You can wipe left or right, up or down, or even use circles, triangles, and stars. (Honestly, who would forbid you?) Any examples of wipes that immediately come to mind? Yes, “Star Wars.”

George Lucas constantly uses screen wipe transitions to shift between storylines (and as you know, there are a lot of these). We can call them “the opposite of immersion,” as they are loud, punchy, and always remind us that we’re watching a space opera, after all! In this case, wipes are an obvious cue to the audience that the story is moving along, closing one chapter and jumping to the next. Like a literal curtain in a theatre, falling after the act.

In modern filmmaking, wipes as transitions are rare. Naturally, shows like “The Mandalorian” follow the franchise’s transition and include them to sustain the feeling that we’re in the “Star Wars” universe. Yet beyond them? One example that instantly comes to my mind is Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” This film uses every possible trick to create the feeling of flipping through a comic book. Screen wipes are among them – in all forms and kinds, including creative ones like below:

And other transitions

That’s not all, of course. There is a whole playground of other transitions we can use instead of a hard cut: from the already-mentioned “dip to white” to “defocus” and split screens (which we discuss in detail in this article, if you’re interested). There are no strict rules for when to use them, whatever the critics say or call “cringe.” However, in my opinion, any tool or transition you choose should serve the story’s internal logic and help achieve your visual style. Be intentional about it, like the films and series we discussed in this article, and then you can use any technique in the world.

And what are your favorite transitions? Do you use anything in particular, and when? If so, what and when? Let’s continue talking about the topic below!

Feature image: film stills from “Apocalypse Now” by Francis Ford Coppola, 1979; from BBC’s “Sherlock” series, 2010-2017; and from “Saving Private Ryan” by Steven Spielberg, 1998.

Full disclosure: MZed is owned by CineD.

Additional source: “Cinematic Storytelling” by Jennifer Van Sijll, 2005.