Soviet Montage Theory

This is an approach to understanding and creating cinema that relies upon editing. Soviet filmmakers in the 1920s disagreed about how to view montage editing. Several Soviet filmmakers, such as Lev Kuleshov, Dziga Vertov and Vsevolod Pudovkin put forth explanations of what constitutes to be the montage effect. Sergei Eisenstein's view is that 'montage is an idea that arises from the collision of independent thoughts'. In fomal terms, this style of editing offers discontinuity in graphis qualities and violations of the 180 degree rule. Eisenstein describes five methods of montage editing in his introductory essay 'Word and Image'.


Methods of montage

Metric - where the editing follows a specific numbers of frames and cutting to the next shot no matter what is happening in the image. This montage is used to elicit the most basal and emotional reactions of the audience.

Rhythmic - includes cutting based on continuity, creating visual continuity from edit to edit. An example would be The Battleship Potemkin's 'Odessa steps' sequence. Found on YouTube. 

Tonal - uses the emotion meaning of the shot. Not just manipulating the temporal length of the cuts of its rhythmical characteristics - to get a reaction from the audience even more complex than metric or rhythmic montages. For example, a sleeping baby would create calmness and relaxation throughout the audience.

Over-tonal/Associational - is the accumulation of metric, rhythmic and tonal montage to synthesize its effects on the audience for a more abstract and complicated effect.

Intellectual - uses shots when combined show an intellectual meaning. An Example would be Eisenstein's October and Strike. In Strike, a shot of striking workers being attacked is cut with a shot of a bull being slaughtered creates a film metaphor suggesting that the workers are being treated like cattle. A meaning only arises when they are shown in this way.