Film Word Of The Week: Cheater-cut

by Kierston Drier

If you have ever tuned in to your favorite serialized show airing on Prime-Time, you have seen a cheater cut. You may not have heard the term, but the chances are high you’ve relied on it if you’ve ever missed an episode, in the era before you could download it.

A Cheater-cut is the small series of shots that break down the basic plot points in the previous episode, and often air just before the episode about to come up. It is, metaphorically, an information booster-shot, so that you’ll be able to generally keep up with what is going on in the current episode, if you missed last weeks’.

Orphan Black, is one of many shows that employs Cheater’s Cuts, the introductory footage that will recap the previous episode. Cheater Cuts can also serve other purposes- they can shine a spotlight on essential plot…