Split Editing occurs when the video and audio transitions between scenes are not matched up. Because the viewer will naturally try to connect what they are seeing with what they are hearing, it is often used to portray a logical connection between the two scenes.
Many times used in interviews, cutting to the subject before the question is finished, to show reactions. Often very useful, as the reporter's side of the interview is often shot well after the interview is over — field crews seldom carry more than one camera.
In Sequential Art, it can employed by including speech from one scene as narration boxes over the preceding scene.
It has two main variants: the pre-lap and the post-lap (otherwise known as J-cut or L-cut, from the physical shape of the cut on a film strip where audio is below video). A pre-lap is a Scene Transition where the sound from the scene transitions before the visuals do, so the sound of the second scene momentarily coincides with the visuals from the first scene. The post-lap, on the other hand, is the opposite. The audio from one take will keep going even though the visuals belonging to the next are already rolling.
Depending on how it's used, it might overlap with Practical Voice-Over (in-universe justification to insert a voice-over). Compare Transition Track (the sound of the next scene starts at the very end of the previous scene).
Sister Trope of Interscene Diegetic (source music can still be heard by the audience even as the scene moves to someplace where it would not be audible) and Diegetic Switch (music played in-universe transitions into background music).
Contrast Letting the Air out of the Band (the music slows to a stop upon the revealing of something not so good) and Two Scenes, One Dialogue (two or more characters talk about the same thing in separate locations).
Examples:
- Destiny of the Shrine Maiden: The anime's ending theme "Agony" always starts playing a few seconds before the credits roll. As it's a very emotional song, it fits the rather melancholic way most episodes end. In the 11th episode, for example, "Agony" playing as the shell pendant falls to the ground compliments that heart-breaking moment.
- Revolutionary Girl Utena: In "Miki's Nest Box", Utena talks with Anthy about what she expected the namesake for "The Sunlit Garden" to be like. The audio then switches to Anthy reporting on this moment to Akio at a later point. The audience can see Utena talking, looking fondly in Anthy's direction, but we can't hear her voice.
- Turning Red: At the end of the scene where Mei's grandma and aunties arrive, the Cha Cha Slide can be heard which is playing In-Universe at Tyler's birthday party in the next scene.
- Ant-Man: Luis rapid-fire recounting of how journalist his friend Ignasio met on a date spoke with Sam Wilson, who is working with the Avengers and wants to meet Scott has this tendency of carrying over to the montage showing Luis' anecdotes. So it's an example of both pre-lap and post-lap.
- Born in East L.A.: As a police officer drags Rudy for beating up a telephone booth, we hear Rudy screaming "Guard!", then we cut to Rudy in jail still calling for the guard.
- eXistenZ post-laps Geller and Pikul's forced, breathy make-out sounds over a dead amphibian that dangles from Ted Pikul's hand.
- The Graduate: Dustin Hoffman is in the bottom of a pool but you hear him having a phone conversation with Mrs. Robinson in the following scene.
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: When Wayne realizes Nick doesn't play baseball and looks up at his window, we hear Ron say "I just figured it out...". Then we cut back to him and Amy as he believes he's dreaming.
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: As Indy is looking at a road sign leading to Berlin, the sound of drums is heard. As the scene changes to Berlin, the drums fade into parade music as Nazi soldiers march around and burn books.
- The Jazz Singer: Jakie Rabinowitz's exclaims, "You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!" and subsequent speech before he and his band start playing presents an unbuilt version of the post-lap. His words don't carry to the next scene but simply to the pub's patrons sitting down. Still, it's significant because it was the first time such an editing technique was even possible.
- Lawrence of Arabia: The sound of a train whistle is heard over the end of the previous scene. The Ur-Example and Trope Maker.
- The Phantom Menace: When Shmi overhears Qui-Gon discussing the implications of Anakin's impossibly high midichlorian count, Darth Maul's Sith chanting theme begins, serving as a lampshade on the conversation before transitioning to Maul's arrival.
- Primer: An ice machine is activated on a refrigerator, and a noise is heard. Said noise turns out to be construction equipment from the next scene, where the protagonists are trying to build a device in the garage.
- Scary Movie 3 parodies this during its spoof of The Ring (2002), with the main character reacting to a sudden boat horn piped in from the next scene.
- Castle (2009): In "Hell Hath No Fury", Castle exclaims "Oh my God!" to a shot of a corpse. He's actually reacting to the station's bad coffee, but his dialogue gets played early while the previous scene is still on-screen.
- Kamen Rider Kuuga: In "Grief", a prelap of a bee's wings bridges Enokida's explanation of the Monster of the Week to Yusuke and Ichijou, to said Monster of the Week's current killing spree in progress.
- Lost uses it often, particularly for transitioning to flashbacks in the early episodes, before the trademark "woosh" noise was added.
- Lucifer (2016):
- "Once Upon a Time": Erika screams Lucifer's name, then we hear Charlotte calling out Lucifer's name a second before we cut to her scene.
- "All About Eve": Upon being told by Maze that Linda knows about everything. Chloe's voice can be heard asking whether the former knew it all along before the scene's visuals change.
Chloe: You've known this whole time? - O11CE: In the very beginning of episode 1, in Alamo Seco, Gabo and Felipe are demonstrating a football trick in their classroom with the class counting "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven—". The "eight" comes from a teacher at the IAD miles away, and is said before the scene fully transitions to the second location.
- Person of Interest uses this to move from scene to scene with the sounds of conversations overheard through telephones, recorders, and so forth, coupled with a visual transition pinpointing the next location and zooming in.
- Silverpoint: Used for humour in Here There Be Monsters, Part 1. A boy comes face-to-face with something in the woods and seemingly lets out a high-pitched scream, but the noise is actually Steph blowing her whistle in the next scene.
- Phantasy Star III: Dark Force is contained inside a chest. The sound effect of the chest opening echoes for several moments, and the screen fades into the final battle. The echoing of the chest opening sound becomes the backbeat of the final boss theme.
- Return of the Obra Dinn: In one of the scenes in "The Escape", a scream from a crew member being shot off-screen from the previous scene's setup is heard in the background, in which the other characters are already well into their actions.
- Superego:
- Ava and Sam arrive at an abandoned room full of painted murals. The following four panels are close-ups of >some of the murals
but contain Ava and Sam's snarky dialogue as the former examines them. Then we finally get to see Sam's fed-up expression and the panels switch to the two character's interactions.
- Julia's recounting of her prophetic dreams only has one panel focusing on her scared face, the rest of her dialogue is shown below
the other character's reaction shot and exploring of the weird symbol on the wall.
- Ava and Sam arrive at an abandoned room full of painted murals. The following four panels are close-ups of >some of the murals
- Sweet Jade and Hella John: The ending of Jade's ancestor story deals with the deaths of Dave and Dirk's dad and Rose and Roxy's mom, with Jade saying that there's a rumor that some vampire stole their corpses. It then cuts to what's in Rip's coffin: said ancestors' dead bodies being controlled by Rip, with Jade still narrating that there isn't anything to prove this rumor.
- After Hours (Cracked): David attempts to discuss with an unwilling Soren the immorality of cereal mascots. The two of them (three including Michael) are in the bathroom, and Soren is using the urinal. David is just standing behind him badgering. The scene ends with a sound resembling a public toilet flushing; it turns out to be Katie spraying whipped cream directly into her mouth.
- Archer: This trope, combined with Twisted Echo Cut, is a staple of the series's comedic style.
- SpongeBob SquarePants: Due to external factors, all home releases of "Something Smells" prelaps the visuals of SpongeBob's breath chasing off a building with the audio of SpongeBob talking to Patrick in the next scene.
