In editing, which description correctly defines an L-cut and a J-cut?

• A. L-cut: Audio from the next scene starts after the visual cut; J-cut: Audio from the previous scene carries over into the next.
• B. L-cut: Audio from the next scene starts before the visual cut; J-cut: Audio from the previous scene carries over into the next.
• C. L-cut: Color grading technique; J-cut: Lighting technique.
• D. L-cut: A cut that simply switches from one scene to another; J-cut: A fade.

Answer: (B)

L-cut and J-cut are about how audio and visuals move relative to a cut, so the sound can bridge between scenes and keep the storytelling flow. The idea is to separate when we hear something from a scene from when we see it on screen.

The description you’re studying says an L-cut has the audio from the next scene start before the visual cut to it, while a J-cut has the audio from the previous scene carry over into the next. This framing emphasizes that the timing of sound across a cut—whether the sound of the upcoming moment leads the cut or the sound from the current moment bleeds into the next—creates a smoother transition between scenes. It’s exactly this bridging of audio across the visual change that defines these techniques and gives editors flexibility to guide audience perception and pacing.

In practice, you might hear the next scene’s sound before you see it (an audio lead) or hear the previous scene’s sound after the visual cut as the new image appears (audio lingering). Other editing terms describe different tools (like color grading, lighting, or basic cuts and fades) that don’t focus on this cross-cut audio behavior.