# Why do video blogs like to cut in/out their talking every few seconds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560 "2017-04-16T13:35:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dude\_robert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8e7dd6/32.png) [@dude\_robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude_robert)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/1 "2017-04-16T13:35:13Z")
I’ve noticed that some video bloggers/newman like to edit their blogging so that when they’re talking, instead of having a natural pause where they will pause and catch their breath, they will just cut that out and instantly or “seamlessly” cut to the next chapter of the thing they were going to say. I don’t really find this annoying, but sometimes it is jarring and distracting. What is the main purpose of this? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/2 "2017-04-16T14:48:18Z")
> [@dude\_robert](#): > > What is the main purpose of this? Seriously, I think it is just bad editing. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/3 "2017-04-16T15:50:38Z")
I’ve noticed that in some podcasts too, especially when playing an audio clip from a TV show or movie. There’s pauses in the dialogue that get shortened. It seems the trouble of editing the clip must be a lot more effort than just leaving in a 1-second pause. Are they using audio/video editors that scrub the entire track of pauses automatically? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/4 "2017-04-16T16:02:57Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Seriously, I think it is just bad editing. Yeah–they’re trying to cut something out, and focusing on that, rather than the prosody of the speech. In editing (both for film with dialog and sound) there’s a principle known as cutting “on the beat,” and when someone is in a hurry, they just ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/5 "2017-04-16T16:11:12Z")
Multiple recordings/takes. Simple as that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/6 "2017-04-16T16:40:08Z")
They’re editing out um, er, y’know, like… ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/7 "2017-04-16T17:02:10Z")
The reason is shortening attention spans. I prefer videos made this way, because it means the same amount of words can fit in less time. I hate to admit this because it makes me one of “those” millennials, but I also turn up the speed of videos to 1.5x or even 2x in some cases when I can. Since youtube videos are pre-recorded and I can go back to anything I missed, there is no problem with faster speech or even speeding the thing up considerably. And, in today’s world, there’s also no shortage of content. That’s what has changed. In the past, in the 1980s or before, there were a limited number of major networks. You had to wait through the commercials. There were a limited number of films you could go see, and even once VHS tapes became a thing, they were expensive and the quality was less than the original film. All these factors and others meant movies and television programs had slower dialogue, since there were no repeats. It meant that they would also make individual episodes of a show mainly self contained, since someone might tune into a program at any time. There were not 100s of rival channels competing for your attention and clicks. And so on. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/8 "2017-04-16T22:00:42Z")
If you can ear the edits, they’re bad edits. I speak as someone with a lot of experience editing video and audio. There are times when you can’t avoid ugly edits especially with documentary/reality footage, but that shouldn’t be the case with VO one can re-record. It’s laziness. But then again, you pay peanuts you get monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/9 "2017-04-16T23:49:04Z")
I’ve seen some young youtubers do this. IMHO, It’s basically because these people can’t strand together a single intelligible sentence without uhmming and uuuhing, and have to edit what would be the most straight forward utterance to most of us. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/10 "2017-04-17T00:09:20Z")
They didn’t record it as one take. Or if they did, there were errors to delete. And they were a little sloppy about how they patched the “keeper” material together. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/11 "2017-04-17T00:19:59Z")
It’s called a match cut, notably used in À bout de souffle and 2001 Space Odyssey. It has a few uses: explicit juxtaposition (like in 2001 with the branch/satellite), shortening the length for the same essential content, giving a snappy feel, making you feel like you’re watching something fictional or surreal, making up for bad shooting. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/12 "2017-04-17T03:38:03Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > It’s called a match cut, notably used in À bout de souffle and 2001 Space Odyssey. > It has a few uses: explicit juxtaposition (like in 2001 with the branch/satellite), shortening the length for the same essential content, giving a snappy feel, making you feel like you’re watching something fictional or surreal, making up for bad shooting. There are many kind of match cuts–match on action (as in 2001), match on emotion, match on framing, match on sound, etc. but I don’t think that’s what is being discussed here. Unless I misunderstood, it’s bad audio edits. Unless it’s video and audio jump cuts; I’d have to see an example to really know. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/13 "2017-04-17T14:25:26Z")
The whole point of a vlog is that you are just saying what’s on your mind. Many podcasts are like this, too. So, if they stumble, they edit it out. Though I do admit you shouldn’t be able to hear the cut if they do it right. But most aren’t going to use a two camera setup so they can cut the video seamlessly. Hence the match cut, and why it became popular in vlogs. As for the OP’s question of why they cut out pauses, it’s the same reason they tend to speak quickly. Their audience wants it fast. Heck, there are even podcast apps that remove pauses automatically. Silence is deadly for them. You still shouldn’t be able to hear the cuts, though. That’s bad editing. But editing quality often isn’t a priority. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/14 "2017-04-18T18:35:20Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > It’s called a match cut, notably used in À bout de souffle and 2001 Space Odyssey. > It has a few uses: explicit juxtaposition (like in 2001 with the branch/satellite), shortening the length for the same essential content, giving a snappy feel, making you feel like you’re watching something fictional or surreal, making up for bad shooting. Do you mean jump cuts? If I understand the OP it’s more À bout de souffle than 2001 a Space Odyssey ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/15 "2017-04-18T20:04:41Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > They’re editing out um, er, y’know, like… I’ve been reading my voicemails (Apple’s voice to text Beta is great) and it is really interesting reading the "umm"s and "uhh"s that pepper some people’s speech! ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/16 "2017-04-19T00:34:27Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Do you mean jump cuts? If I understand the OP it’s more À bout de souffle than 2001 a Space Odyssey You’re right, thanks for the correction. I got my cuts confused. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/17 "2017-04-19T03:02:13Z")
> [@SamuelA](#): > > The reason is shortening atten TLDR. Just kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/18 "2017-04-19T10:44:19Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve been reading my voicemails (Apple’s voice to text Beta is great) and it is really interesting reading the "umm"s and "uhh"s that pepper some people’s speech! I try to edit them out of my own videos where possible. Most of my video content is me talking, more or less unscripted, while I make something, so the opportunity to re record any stumbles is very limited. I have on one or two occasions dropped the live audio completely and recorded a new narrated audio track, with a script. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560/19 "2017-04-19T11:02:14Z")
The only thing I have seen which does what the OP references is Jenna Marbles on YouTube: [Example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSlBInQ4eR8) I’d vote that it’s mostly editing for shortness and/or for the best lines. In the above example, probably more the former, but in her earlier videos it seemed like it was probably more the latter. She once explained that when she started she’d actually edit as she was talking, pausing the camera and then resuming it, to give herself time to come up with silly follow-on lines to say. Basically, she’s “writing the script” in real time and editing out the thinking time.