concept film-grammar ◆ established
iris wipe
also: iris transition · iris-in/iris-out
n iris wipe is a circular transition in which the image closes down to or opens out from a round mask. Common in silent cinema and later used as a consciously archaic or playful stylistic marker, it can isolate a point of attention while also marking a strong transition. Unlike an invisible continuity cut, the iris wipe foregrounds mediation and historical style.
notes
Corpus support here is sparse; the entry leans on established film-historical usage and the metadata note’s recognition of such formal descriptors.
criteria
- A circular mask expands or contracts to reveal or conceal the image.
- Functions as an explicit transition or attention-framing device.
- Often carries period style, quotation, or playful self-consciousness.
visual examples
- A circular aperture closing around a character before the frame goes black.
aesthetic tags
neighborhood · 5
related · 5
references
- AI cinema descriptive metadata variables
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