There is a formal difference concerning the term dissolve between the Italian and the English taxonomy.
In Italian dissolve does not only refer to a lap-dissolve effect but it is used in a broader sense including the concept of fade (as a consequence, of fade-in and fade-out too).
Comedy scenes often end in a fade so that they are not confused with the scene that is to follow. When switching from comedy to seriousness the fade has obvious uses.
