Montage Editing

What is editing?

• Continuity Editing is the predominant style of film editing and video editing in the post-production process of filmmaking of narrative films and television programs. The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots. 
• A way of placing shots next to each other so that it makes sense.

Montage Editing: Condensing time, Placement of Images to create meaning

• By definition, a montage is "a single pictorial composition made by juxtaposing or superimposing many pictures or designs." In filmmaking, a montage is an editing technique in which shots are juxtaposed in an often fast-paced fashion that compressed time and conveys a lot of information in a relatively short period. 

• Montage is "the nerve of cinema... to determine the nature of montage is to solve the specific problem of cinema." - Sergei Eisenstein, 'A Dialectic Approach to Film Form'

• The production of a rapid succession of images in a motion picture to illustrate an association of ideas

• Rocky Training Montage: Comparison of Two Characters, Completely Different Settings, Bringing Two Locations into the same eye line. Tree falling vs. Man falling - the way they are cut together creates meaning.

• Soviet Montage Theory: Idea that the juxtaposition of different images an lead the viewer to reach different conclusions 
• The way the audience interpret why the images are placed next to each other
• Same sequence, playing with the audience's mind
• The Kuleshov Effect: Not just the acting or the content of the scene but to elicit an emotional response

Sergei Eisenstein (1898 - 1948)

• Believed that editing could be used for more than just showing a scene. 
• Felt the "collision" of shots could be used to manipulate the emotions of the audience and create film metaphors
• Differed from Kuleshov in believing that "each sequential element is perceived not next to the other, but on top of the other"

• Elongates time, creates different emotions, meant to be jarring, variety of shots, different pacing / shots / angles keeps the audience engaged

Eisenstein's Montage Theory

• Discontinuity editing
• Violations of continuity rules including the 180 degree rule
• Transitions between shots are deliberately obvious, less fluid and non-seamless
• Argued that montage is inherently dialectical (new ideas emerging from conflict)
• Methods of Montage: 

1. Metric

• Length of the shot is used to create meaning
• Editing follows a specific number of frames regardless of what happens to image
• Simple relationships between images

2. Rhythmic

• From "Battleship Potemkin" (1925)
• When the rhythm of movement comes into conflict with the rhythm of the editing 
• E.g. Slow march of soldiers / fast cutting 
• Good for portraying opposing forces
• Giving time to tell story - longer shot is more slow and meaningful

3. Tonal

• Focuses on the emotional meaning of the shots
• Uses the emotional meaning of the shots to create meaning
• Images often contain symbolism

4. Overtonal

• From 'Strike', 1925
• The interplay of the metric, rhythmic and tonal characteristics (pace, ideas and emotions) to create an emotional response as well as to communication action.

5. Intellectual

• From ' Strike', 1925
• The introduction of ideas, symbolism and associations into the edit.

Montage Me

Take 6 photographs, each answering one of the questions below:

1. What is your deepest fear?

2. Where do you feel safe?

3. What is your greatest ambition?

4. What is your greatest strength?

5. What is your weakness?

6. A selfie that best captures how you see yourself.