Viewers demand and expect that what they see in news and current affairs reports is a true representation of what is happening through what they know is an artificial medium. And after that they expect a natural and undistracting viewing experience.
If the outcome of this debate is that viewers end up being distracted because they can see all the joins, then we will surely have shot ourselves in the foot.
Some editors argue they look tidier than dissolves, fades etc.
Another factor is that, until recently, a lot of news edit suites (For a time all the BBC One News network tape edit suites for example) could only do cuts - there wasn't the ability to mix/dissolve, fade, flash through white, slide, blur, wipe etc. - and thus when you were editing an interview for brevity, to remove ums/errs etc. you were left with a jump-cut that had to be covered.
If all you could do in your suite was a cut - you had to cut TO something - you couldn't add a mix, wipe, shunt etc. the kit didn't allow you to! If you needed a mix you had to find someone in an Avid suite to help, or even play it through the gallery...
At the beginning of a clip you could overlay the previous shot (assuming it wasn't someone else talking) until the jump cut - a technique you still see a lot (where you hear a person before you see them - this almost always indicates a sound edit) - but if the edit is mid-clip then you need to paint it (i.e. overlay it) with a cutaway. This could be a reverse shot of a reporter listening (aka the noddy) - though this requires that the reporter was present at the interview (in many cases they aren't and the camera operator, producer or a different reporter asks the questions), or alternatively cutaways like close-ups of hands can be used, or even an overlay of the subject being discussed.
What isn't being debated is the need to edit interviews down for time and clarity - news and documentary producers have always done this - the point is that they have to be trusted to do this responsibly and without mis-representation. Trust is obviously an issue these days - but without it you can't make engaging and watchable TV. Raw interview answers, unedited, can often be very dull and heavy going, and not particularly to the point.
So we're not talking noddy with the cool car. The noddy mobile.
Sadly we're not talking about that! -- as cosy as Toytown is (although Noddy's car didn't have seatbelts nor a tax disc tut-tut)
And probably no insurance or MOT either. And he doesn't look 17 and probably doesn't have a licence so shouldn't be driving anyway. But did PC Plod ever arrest him for underage driving and driving without a licence? Mind you there wouldn't be a show if Noddy was nicked at the start of each episode for illegal driving, but then this sort of world was common for Enid Blyton.
With regards to noddies as in the context of this thread, I do believe they present a more polished finish than a fade/dissolve as is often seen in American news reports.
Regarding the other point about three-second audio bites as also often seen in American news, I also would hate if we start doing this over here. We're so used to seeing a full sentence or two over here as we've done it this year for many years. A three second snipplet can often blow the entire issue out of context so I suppose the reason why we take a full sentence or chunk for a report is supposedly so it can be heard in balance and context with another contributor of the opposing view.
So long as we don't go down the US route with 3 second soundbite interviews.
Sorry, that's too long
Seriously I'm getting pretty bored of this topic now.
The relaunched/new Editor of Five has got his publicity.
As has been said/written elsewhere there is a big difference between making a piece of TV look presentable and alleged fraud on phone-in competitions.
He had gender re-assignment when he was younger, and will realise that he mothered a child when "he" was younger in a deus ex machina moment. Perhaps not so common in Enid Blyton's world; although she did bring us the Gilbert Golly, so she is not adverse to a bit of typecasting
Bathos aside, thanks for expanding on the various techniques on avoiding jump cuts Noggin
-- as cosy as Toytown is (although Noddy's car didn't have seatbelts nor a tax disc tut-tut)
