Intellectual montage refers to the introduction of ideas into a highly charged and emotionalized sequence. Shots that emphasize the abuse of the army's overwhelming power and the exploitation of the citizens' powerlessness punctuate the message (Figure 1.28). In the Odessa Steps sequence, the outcome of the massacre should be the outrage of the audience. That interplay mixes pace, ideas, and emotions to induce the desired effect from the audience. Overtonal montage is the interplay of metric, rhythmic, and tonal montages. In the Odessa Steps sequence, the death of the young mother on the steps and the following baby carriage sequence highlight the depth of the tragedy of the massacre (Figures 1.22 to 1.27). Tone or mood is used as a guideline for interpreting tonal montage, and although the theory begins to sound intellectual, it is no different from Ingmar Bergman's suggestion that editing is akin to music, the playing of the emotions of the different scenes.14 Emotions change, and so too can the tone of the scene. Tonal montage refers to editing decisions made to establish the emotional character of a scene, which may change in the course of the scene. For example, in the Odessa Steps sequence of Potemkin (1925), soldiers march down the steps from one quadrant of the frame, followed by people attempting to escape from the opposite side of the frame (Figures 1.17 to 1.21). This type of montage has considerable potential for portraying conflict because opposing forces can be presented in terms of opposing screen directions as well as parts of the frame. Continuity based on matching action and screen direction are examples of rhythmic montage. Rhythmic montage refers to continuity arising from the visual pattern within the shots. Still provided by British Film Institute. The use of close-ups with shorter shots creates a more intense sequence (Figures 1.15 and 1.16). This increases the tension resulting from the scene. Regardless of their content, shortening the shots abbreviates the time the audience has to absorb the information in each shot.

Metric montage refers to the length of the shots relative to one another. The clearest exposition of his theory has been presented by Andrew Tudor in his book Theories on Film.13 METRIC MONTAGE His theory of editing has five components: metric montage, rhythmic montage, tonal montage, overtonal montage, and intellectual montage. Strikes, the 1905 revolution, and the 1917 revolution were Eisenstein's earliest subjects.Įisenstein achieved so much in the field of editing that it would be most useful to present his theory first and then look at how he put theory into practice. The principle of the dialectic was particularly suitable for subjects related to prerevolu-tionary and revolutionary issues and events. Beginning with Strike (1924), Eisenstein attempted to theorize about film editing as a clash of images and ideas.

With a background in theatre and design, Eisenstein attempted to translate the lessons of Griffith and the lessons of Karl Marx into a singular audience experience. Still provided by Museum of Modern Art/Film Stills Archives. In the early 1920s, however, he was a young, committed filmmaker. He also wrote extensively about film ideas and eventually taught a generation of Russian directors. As a director, he was perhaps the greatest. Eisenstein was the second of the key Russian filmmakers.

Define montage