This section focuses on the juxtaposition of shots to create contrast and tension between the action on screen. By intercutting between 2 opposing shots the audience get a jarring effect. This forces the audience to pay attention to the action and take on an active rather then passive role as an observer. It is a technique often used by film makers when they want the audience to be participant in the film. They want each person to have their own differing take on the action and question what is occurring. Juxtaposition can highlight the polarizing effects of the actions that are occurring on screen. It can create meaning in 2 shots that may otherwise not have had a strong meaning or room for interpretation.

The Kuleshov effect is a theory created by Lev Kuleshov that demonstrates the effects of playing one shot directly after the other. Kuleshov showed the same image of a man 3 times over. Firstly he showed the mans face and intercut it with a shot of a coffin. The second was the face followed by a bowl of food. The 3rd was the face and then the image of a woman on a daybed. The 1st combination was said to evoke feelings of sadness. The second evoked feelings of hunger and the 3rd the feeling of lust.

The audiences mind automatically fills in the gaps and creates an association between the 2 images. The first image primes their expectations and the second one provides the necessary detail for the audience to create meaning. Even though the 1st images in the sequences were the same each time, our minds automatically play the 2 unrelated shots as a loop, which creates meaning and evokes emotion.