One other trick editors have is to make it seem that two separate scenes are happening at the same time. This technique, known as “parallel editing” it an effective storytelling tool. Typically, the editor cuts back and forth between two or more scenes; thus, the viewer assumes they are related. And because the audience sees a relationship, they expect the two scenes to converge at some future point. Some of the first examples in film were “damsel in distress” dramas about young women who were captured and tied to railroad tracks, for example. The editor would switch back and forth between: 1) the tied-up girl, 2) the approaching train, and 3) the rescuer racing to save the day.