How Film Montage Works In Film
Montage is one of most common filmmaking techniques that has been wildly used as a form of film editing and people can find more than one montage sequence in modern movies. There is a more accurate explanation from Wikipedia:"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. It is usually used to suggest the passage of time".
In my opinion, comparing with other film editing techniques, the most unique function of montage is that montage can integrate different time, space and information into one sequence so as to produce more complex meaning or expressing main subject of film. Sergei Eisenstein is a film theorist who said that "montage is an idea that arises from the collision of independent thoughts" wherein "each sequential element is perceived not next to the other, but on top of the other" and Eisenstein also noted that"montage is the nerve of cinema".
In Schindler's List (1993), Steven Spielberg created several montage sequences in this film and the most impressive one which I think is the scene about Schindler's birthday. In this scene, Spielberg made a deranged space but with a rigorous logic. This birthday celebration scene is consisted of three sequences.The first one is Jewish wedding scene, the second sequence is about Herr Kommandant beating up his Jew woman servant and the last one is Schindler's birthday dance ball.The first sound comes out in this sequence is a song of praise in Jewish wedding, then it is converted into the music from a radio, and then it becomes the voice of singer in dance ball. When it comes to scenes, the sequence of Herr Kommandant touching his female servant Helen is keep switching with the sequences of singer touching Schindler's face; the applause in dance ball is switching with sound of beating. These scenes and sound are actually happened in different space and time, but Spielberg consists these whole lot of information organically.
Spielberg just using montage (collision of many different sequences) to describe the characters in the story and bring viewer to different space in one time. I think this is the difference between art movie and documentary.
Montage is one of most common filmmaking techniques that has been wildly used as a form of film editing and people can find more than one montage sequence in modern movies. There is a more accurate explanation from Wikipedia:"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. It is usually used to suggest the passage of time".
In my opinion, comparing with other film editing techniques, the most unique function of montage is that montage can integrate different time, space and information into one sequence so as to produce more complex meaning or expressing main subject of film. Sergei Eisenstein is a film theorist who said that "montage is an idea that arises from the collision of independent thoughts" wherein "each sequential element is perceived not next to the other, but on top of the other" and Eisenstein also noted that"montage is the nerve of cinema".
In Schindler's List (1993), Steven Spielberg created several montage sequences in this film and the most impressive one which I think is the scene about Schindler's birthday. In this scene, Spielberg made a deranged space but with a rigorous logic. This birthday celebration scene is consisted of three sequences.The first one is Jewish wedding scene, the second sequence is about Herr Kommandant beating up his Jew woman servant and the last one is Schindler's birthday dance ball.The first sound comes out in this sequence is a song of praise in Jewish wedding, then it is converted into the music from a radio, and then it becomes the voice of singer in dance ball. When it comes to scenes, the sequence of Herr Kommandant touching his female servant Helen is keep switching with the sequences of singer touching Schindler's face; the applause in dance ball is switching with sound of beating. These scenes and sound are actually happened in different space and time, but Spielberg consists these whole lot of information organically.
Spielberg just using montage (collision of many different sequences) to describe the characters in the story and bring viewer to different space in one time. I think this is the difference between art movie and documentary.
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