Cross dissolve

Cross dissolve is a smooth transition in which a scene fades out, while another scene fades up over the same number of frames. Cross dissolves are effective for showing a memory or a passage of time. The length of a dissolve depends on the pace or the mood of the scene, a long cross dissolve would indicate the pace is being slowed down.

At 0:18 in the clip above there is a cross dissolve communicating a memory, this is clearly indicated in the scene as it takes us to a different location. The dissolve slows the pace of the scene down indicating a memory. Cross dissolves when changing location is a smoother way to edit rather than jump cutting, a jump cut would also not indicate as well if it was a memory, instead it would feel like another scene. It also acts as a clear communicator to an audience that we are changing location in some way.

The clip above is from the movie THEM! It gives examples of cross cutting and cross dissolve, as the scenes cut back and forward you see cross dissolved being used. This seems to be done to build tension, as the plane declines and passes over a girl in a dessert like location it cross dissolves to the police, this leaves the viewers wanting to know more. Later on in the scenes they continue to use cross dissolves one reason was to quickly change location, this is one of the many uses of the cross dissolve transition.