Cutaways

Cutaways are camera shots that are used to break the flow of the scene, i.e. giving other views of the scene. This is so the user is not getting a dull viewing experience.

Cutaways, most of the time, will cut from the original shot to the cutaway and then back to the original shot. This is to add more context to the scene on top of the main storyline. 

Creating Cutaways

In order to create cutaways effectively you will want to set up two or more cameras within the initial recording of a scene. When recording the scene you will most likely have the A-roll and B-Roll. The A-roll comes from Camera A which will contain all the main action and dialogue, thus you will be using this footage primarily. The B-roll comes from the secondary cameras available (Camera B) and so it contains all the alternative angles from the scene.

The actual cutaways are then implemented during the editing phase of production in which the editor reviews the rushes and orders all the footage with potential cutaways.