Montage

What is a Montage?

Definition : Montage is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information.

Types of Montage

Rhythmic - The rate of the metronome is changed over time. The sequence starts at a certain pace and usually the cuts happen faster and faster as the audience grips on to their seats. The most famous of rhythmic cutting is the great Odessa step sequence.

Metric - Each cut is made at the same rate. This is the simplest montage and creates a driving determined force to your scene.

Over-tonal - Over-tonal montages smash together metric, rhythmic, and tonal montages in a way that is more avant garde and complicated. If done properly this can reach across time and arc across emotions and leave the audience feeling blown away

Tonal - Tonal montages rely less on the timing of the cut and more on the representation of each shot. This is a more emotionally based film editing technique and tends not to be rhythmic or metric.

Intellectual - Intellectual montages move from the scene to analogies of what that scene represents.

Examples:

Narrative Montage

Married Life - Up

The angles and filming of this scene are very important and always show Ellie and Carl together. The two-shots that happen are very critical, it puts the two main characters side by side for the whole time until Ellie passes. This style solidifies there marriage and is a super strong part of this scene as this scene covers 70 years of their lives and emphasis’s how close they were. There are also running motifs with the balloons, the chairs, and the hill with the tree also help convey their feelings for each other and how they were there through thick and thin. There is one very specific shot I want to focus on. At one of the major turning points of this scene they use a lateral tracking shot. This shot passes from the two painting the nursery to the two with a doctor breaking bad news. Using intuition and the posters on the wall you can put together what had happened without any dialogue and that’s why I love this scene. The framing and angles of this scene really makes this part a whole lot deeper. Every little detail is done for a reason and makes us feel a certain way even if we don’t notice it.

Intellectual Montage

Baptism - Godfather

The scene cuts in and out of Michael at his nephew’s baptism and his men murdering his rivals. The montage editing also reveals that the baptism and the killings are going on at the same time. The montage editing cuts between the peaceful, calm, and religious ceremony to the violent murders that are going on. The background music and priests voice also adds suspense and excitement to the scene as well. The setting of the church also gives off a gloomy feeling as well. The lighting inside of the church is dark, which gives off a gothic vibe of the church. The music and voice of the priest seems to get louder as each man is murdered as the scene goes on. The voice reaches it loudest point when the priest asks Michael if he rejects the glamour of evil and if he rejects Satan and all of his works. The scene cuts and shows Michael’s rivals being murdered by his men. The guns blasting throughout the scene are very loud as well. The camera is stationary and uses medium shot and medium close-up on Michael. There are also camera shots that are medium and medium close-up of Michael’s rivals as they are being killed. One part of the scene where this happens is the rival who is lying down and getting a massage. The camera has a close-up and the viewer can almost see the bullet go into the man’s eye. The end of the scene ends with the conclusion the Michael is now the new Godfather of the Corleone family.

The editing montage separates the holy and unholy traits of Michael’s character. It shows the he is good and evil. It also captures what Michael’s new life as the Godfather may endure. The scene shows Michael in a ruthless light. It reveals how inhumane and violent he is by how he says he renounces Satan at the same time he has his men murdering his rivals.

Training Montage

Rocky IV - Training

Rocky IV utilizes quick cut editing especially during the training montage and the final fight montage. The montages in Rocky are utilized to show the passing of time and the progression of the story and character development. At the beginning of the montage, we see Rocky slightly out of shape and without a beard. By the time the montage is over,we see Rocky with a beard and heavily in shape ready for the fight. The montage is also used to compare Rocky and Drago. Rocky is training in a log cabin in the middle of Moscow with no equipment or any training facility to use to his advantage. Drago is training in a facility with about fifty trainers and he is able to utilizie technology and heavy lifting equipment to his advantage. The camera cuts back and forth between the environment Rocky is training in and the environment Drago is training in. During the final fight, a montage is used to show the progression of the rounds and as each round progresses, both fighters become more fatigued and we see more blood on their faces. Having a montage to show the progression of the rounds instead of showing the full twelve rounds of boxing helpes keep the attention of the audience and it makes the scene more dramatic overall. The music in Rocky films has always been significant and inspiring and the montages in these films utilized inspiring music to show that Rocky was not going to give up.

Montage Task

We did an intellectual narrative montage, which portrays what goes on in someones mind when they're late for something - get there asap. Our character's emotions transition from calm and collected to haste and disorganised, which is a typical replication of how you'd feel if you were late; this allows the audience to relate to the character.

We shared roles across our group: Armin was the cinematographer, T'Rae was the producer, Leo was the director and I was the actor. Having planned and created a structure to the work, the task became easier to carry out. Within the shoot we used multiple shots; most evidently: close ups, mid shots, long shots and tracking shots.

The cuts I applied to the task were: jump cuts to suggest a rapid change in time and thoughts. As well as the warp stabiliser effect to add a dreamy feel to the scene.

However, my edit has more of a narrative feel rather than a montage so if I had the time, I'd adapt the storyline and re-film in the future.

Task Brief: Create your own short montage, develop a plan before carrying out the practical work. Our planning and research can be found below. First, we shared ideas on what we thought was an appropriate way to carry out the task. Then once the final idea was agreed on we developed it.

Montage SequenceMONTAGE RESEARCH & PLANNING

I think our idea was successful as it is clear as to what is going on in the short.

In order for the short to be more successful, time card could be added to incorporate humour or more effective transitions. Also, the warp stabliser could be added to less jumpy/shaky clips for a nicer effect. I'd also use more cuts throughout the short to create something which seemed more like a montage. If I had more time I'd also repeat the theme of being late with different people, more than one person at a time or the same person with different outfits.

I've learnt to take several takes, to make the edit in post production easier. Also, make sure everyone in the groups knows precisely how to execute their role in order for the task to come out as well as imagined or better.

Report abuse