Someone reaches for a coat; the next image shows them arriving at a station. We supply the journey without needing every step. A useful viewing exercise is to notice exactly what lets us make that connection.
Find the two ends of the jump
Choose a transition that appears to omit an interval. Describe the last visible action before the cut and the first one after it. Look for connecting details such as clothing, an object, a destination mentioned earlier or a continuing task.
These details support an inference. They do not tell you the exact number of minutes that passed unless the film provides that information. Keep a rough interval rough.
Ask what the omission does
In a fictional example, a scene cuts from a sealed letter to its recipient reading. The omitted delivery may simply keep attention on the message. In another scene, uncertainty about the delivery could become the point.
Try imagining the missing steps shown in full. Would they add a necessary decision, change the mood, or merely repeat information? This is a thought experiment, not evidence about an editor’s actual intentions.
Notice a gap that stays open
Some transitions leave you unsure how two moments connect. Record the uncertainty and see whether later scenes clarify it. An unanswered question is not automatically a continuity error.
Compare this with a shot that keeps running. One holds you inside elapsed time; the other asks you to move across an interval. Describing that difference is more useful than deciding that fast or slow editing is always better.