I'm thinking about transitions!

So I've just been watching R.E.M's music video for 'Losing My Religion' where there is a snappy opening with perfectly timed jump cuts on the beat, and I thought the jump cuts looked really good, due to the white flashes that are used as transitions, as I watch the video these transitions flash up and look almost as though the group is being photographed and that is when the jump cut takes place. 

A shot from R.E.M's video.

No more than a second later a flash of white for one still. 

And less than a second later than that a different shot is used.

I think this method really makes the beat stand out in the listeners head and helps furthermore to get the song in to the audience's head, as the beat is now introduced to the audience visually, which a jump cut on the beat does do, but the white flashes add a dramatic effect to it, these could be really useful transitions! I found the contrast between the dark muted room the performance is taking place in, and the white flashes may be one of the reasons it looks so good, so when I am next in the editing suite (probably 3pm on Wednesday as college is closed on Monday and Tuesday in the upcoming week!) I will try these effects on some of the jump cuts (I think it will only really work with the more dramatic jump cuts) and also try it in black.