ABSTRACT
“Quick cuts” is an editing technique in which many images follow one another in rapid succession. In his book, Spots: The Popular Art of American Television Commercials, Bruce Kurtz discusses the work of Dan Nichols, who made many McDonald‧s commercials and whose work is characterized by many quick cuts. Kurtz describes Nichols‧s “Quick Cuts” McDonald‧s advertisement as follows (1977, New York: Arts Communication, p. 94):
Nichols’ McDonald‧s spots possess the most accelerated time sense of any on television. “Quick Cuts” contains more cuts than can be counted: after repeated viewings the author had to slow down the tape to count 65 different scenes in 60 seconds. A seven-second segment of this spot contains fourteen separate scenes, or two per second. Incredible as it may seem, it is possible for the viewer to perceive these different scenes even though they go by faster than can be counted…. Because of the sense of urgency and of presentness which the spots communicate, the viewer actually experiences the exciting lifestyle Nichols depicts rather than passively observing events which occur to someone else.…More than promoting a particular product, these spots advertise an appealing way of life associated with the restaurant, causing the viewer to turn to the product for gratification.
