# Cross-Cutting — effect skill for cuts & pacing

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Alternate between two or more scenes happening at the same time, building tension or comparison.

- **Type:** [Effect](https://varg.ai/how-to/effects.md) · [Cuts & pacing](https://varg.ai/how-to/browse/skills/cuts.md)
- **Slug:** `cross-cutting`
- **Status:** live
- **Publisher:** varg (varg, verified)
- **License:** MIT
- **Source:** https://github.com/vargHQ/skills/blob/main/varg-video-edit-library/references/cuts.md#cross-cutting
- **Works in:** Claude Code, Claude.ai, Codex, Cursor, OpenClaw, Gemini CLI, Any MCP client, varg Studio
- **Requires:** ffmpeg, HyperFrames (npx hyperframes), Remotion, CapCut (by hand)
- **Cost:** Free — the take renders locally; generated footage, if any, bills by the model

## What it does

A, B, A, B… with shots getting shorter as the two lines converge.

**When:** Chases, countdowns, before/after stories, two people preparing for the same moment.

**Watch out:** Alternating without escalation (same lengths throughout) flattens the tension.

**Timing:** Shorten each pair: e.g. 3 s, 2 s, 1.2 s, 0.8 s

**Also called:** parallel editing, intercutting, parallel action

### In FFmpeg

Generate segments from two sources with shrinking lengths, then concat:
```bash
ffmpeg -i a.mp4 -i b.mp4 -filter_complex \
"[0:v]split=2[a1][a2];[1:v]split=2[b1][b2];\
 [a1]trim=0:3,setpts=PTS-STARTPTS[s1];[b1]trim=0:2,setpts=PTS-STARTPTS[s2];\
 [a2]trim=3:4.2,setpts=PTS-STARTPTS[s3];[b2]trim=2:2.8,setpts=PTS-STARTPTS[s4];\
 [s1][s2][s3][s4]concat=n=4:v=1:a=0[v]" -map "[v]" out.mp4
```

### In HyperFrames

Alternate `<video>` clips with relative starts (`data-start="s1"`, `data-start="s2"` …) and source offsets that keep each storyline moving forward.

### In Remotion

Build the list of `{src, trimBefore, frames}` in code and map it to `<Series.Sequence>`; shrink `frames` each round.

### In CapCut

Lay storyline A on the main track, cut it into pieces and drop pieces of B between them.

### Where this comes from

- [Wikipedia: cross-cutting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-cutting)
- [FFmpeg filters: trim](https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#trim)

## Use when

- Chases, countdowns, before/after stories, two people preparing for the same moment.

## Not for

- Alternating without escalation (same lengths throughout) flattens the tension.

## Install

- Claude Code: `claude plugin marketplace add vargHQ/skills && claude plugin install varg@varg`
- Codex: `npx skills add vargHQ/skills --skill varg-video-edit-library -a codex -y`
- Cursor: `npx skills add vargHQ/skills --skill varg-video-edit-library -a cursor -y`

## Example output

https://s3.varg.ai/how-to/previews/8b29dbdf43a4/take-cross-cutting.mp4 — crosscut between two shots, with the timeline strip of the edit. Footage: Coffee Run (2020), Blender Studio | studio.blender.org, CC BY 4.0; WING IT! (2023), Blender Studio | studio.blender.org, CC BY 4.0. (credit: Rendered by varg · Coffee Run (2020) + WING IT! (2023))

## More cuts & pacing skills

- [SmartCut (capcut-ai-editor)](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/capcut-smartcut-mcp.md): MCP that reads CapCut auto-captions to cut silences and duplicate takes right inside your CapCut project.
- [Auto-Editor](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/auto-editor.md): CLI that cuts dead space by loudness or motion and exports MP4 or editor timelines; now also an agent skill.
- [AutoCut](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/autocut.md): Edit video in a text editor: Whisper transcribes, you delete lines in Markdown, AutoCut cuts the video.
- [Cut Video](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/cut-video.md): Claude Code skill that tightens long recordings with forced-aligned cuts, keeping laughs and comedic pauses.
- [Videogrep](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/videogrep.md): Search spoken words across videos and auto-build supercuts of every match.
- [PySceneDetect](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/pyscenedetect.md): Find cuts, fades and scene changes in a video, then split it or export scene lists for the edit.