Film Language Tag: insert

A shot, often a close up of an object or a small action, that is inserted into a scene. Inserts are inserted into the scene to reveal further detail about it, but are unrelated to the primary action. Unlike cutaways or cut-ins that cut away from or into the main action of the scene, inserts explore other aspects of the scene, from details about the mise-en-scene to close-ups on inanimate objects in the scene (see explanatory insert) to insights about a character’s mental state. Inserts can be longer sequences instead of a brief shot. Inserts can also have more of an ambiguity in perspective or diegesis than cutaways or cut-ins and thus can be disruptive [see also disjunctive insert]. In an effort to create definitions that better reflect the way that we actually use the definitions at Kinolab, we have pulled from these sources to create a clearer definition: 1.) Kroon, R. W. A/V a to z: An encyclopedic dictionary of media, entertainment and other Audiovisual terms. McFarland, 2014. 2.) Kuhn, Annette and Guy Westwell. A Dictionary of Film Studies. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012.