Montage

Probably one of the first theorists of film and cinema was Lev Kuleshov, who brought new insight into the world of motion graphics. He conducted his own study group named the “Kuleshov workshop”, attracting the more radical and innovative film students. In this workshop they experimented with combining the expressionless face of a man, with various other shots, such as a plate of soup, a girl in a coffin or a woman on a sofa. They discovered that when the expressionless face of the man was sequenced with each of these different shots, each sequence established a different meaning towards the viewer. This is now known as the “Kuleshov Effect”.

Other forms of montage editing are outlined in Herbert Zettl’s book “Sight Sound Motion, Applied Media Aesthetics”. In chapter 18 he focuses on: Visual Narrative: The Syntax of Complexity Editing. He describes complexity editing as the selection and the sequencing of specific shots, processing a story, with its emotions. Underpinning what people do, what drives them to do it, and how they feel about what they do. Unlike Continuity Editing, which is editing methods and principles laid out to produce consistent and sensible perceptions, Complexity editing may very well cut between cameras that are positioned on opposite sides. This may be to show the inner confusion of a troubled person, or to induce other purposeful meanings from the audience.

He refers to montage editing to be the juxtaposition of two or more separate events, that when shown together, combine into a new and more intense overall representation.

Montage methods:

- Analytical Montage
- Idea-Associative Montage
- Comparison Montage
- Collision Montage 

Analytical Montage

In analytical montage editing, the editor observes an event for structural and thematic elements, and collects these essential elements to create a more intensified version. This method is broken down into two types, which are sequential and sectional.

Sequential Analytical Montage

This montage method condenses an event by breaking it up according to time, to tell a shorthand story of how events transpired over time. One of the main features of analytical montage is that the main event is often implied but not otherwise made explicit, leaving it up to the viewer to imagine.

Sectional Analytical Montage

As opposed to seeing progression of an event over time, sectional montage isolates a section of an event or moment. It is achieved by producing a shot that establishes the context and sets the tone. The following sectional pieces add to this, going into greater depth. 

Idea-Associative Montage

The idea-associative montage brings together two disassociated events to create a third principle concept. Similarly to the analytical montage, idea-associative montage has two types, comparison and collision. 

Comparison Montage

This montage type compares two or more similar themes, however, combines them in a manner that expresses them differently. 

Ex: Two shots are representing the same theme, with the man and the dog both looking into the public bin. However, while the two events are similar, the comparison conveys how the man is living a dog’s life, scrapping over food. Highlighting the idea of desperation and the social degradation of the poor. 

Collision Montage

This montage type clashes two similar, but opposing events to reinforce a basic feeling. An example would be a montage that juxtaposes a man eating out of a bin, in contrast to a man sitting at a table eating a buffet of food. It is a powerful and insightful type, yet a conspicuous one, which can both enlighten or involve the viewer sensitively. 

Below is a montage edit that I have constructed, which applies some of the montage types described.

Eisenstein was a brief student of Kuleshov and was a pioneer in the usage of montage editing, arguing that it was the essence of cinema. His work on cinema came from an intellectual viewpoint, developing theories to communicate abstract ideas in a new and modern way. 

These are Eisenstein’s 5 methods of montage:

- Metric
- Rhythmic
- Tonal
- Over-tonal
- Intellectual 

EISENSTEIN’S FIVE TYPES OF MONTAGE

Sergei Eisenstein talks about five different methods of montage throughout his work. These varieties of montage build one upon the other so the “higher” forms also include the approaches of the “simpler” varieties. These are the five:

Metric - Where the editing follows a specific number of frames, this is based purely on the physical nature of time, cutting to the next shot no matter what is happening within the image. The reason for this is to get an emotional reaction from the audience.

Rhythmic - The cutting happens for the sake of continuity. This creates visual continuity but it may also be used in order to keep with the pace of the film. A good example of this is the the legendary car/train chase scene in The French Connection.

Tonal - A tonal montage uses the emotional meaning of the shots. Not just manipulating the temporal length of the cuts or its rhythmical characteristics. The point of this is to elicit a reaction that is more complex than Rhythmic and Metric. An example of this is in one of Eisenstein’s fllms called Battleship Potemkin where the character ‘Vakulinchuk’ dies.

Overtonal/Associational - An accumulation of metric, rhythmic, and tonal montage to synthesise its effect on the audience for an even more abstract and complicated effect.

Intellectual - Uses a combination of shots from outside the film in order to create a meaning. A good example of this would be the scene from apocalypse now where Klutz is being executed. They mix in shots of a water buffalo being slaughtered.

Source: http://www.dompaul.co.uk/blogs/25-11-14/25-11-2014.html