Eisenstein & Montage

Eisenstein’s five principles of montage are: Metric Montage: The joining together of several shots so as to make the best use of a predetermined number of frames. Tension is increased by shortening each shot whilst keeping the total length of the piece fixed. Rhythmic Montage: Shots are joined in a way that accentuates or conflicts with the action in the frame – e.g. many short shots together suggest fast movement; breaking the rhythm of the action will create tension. Tonal Montage: Exploits the emotional meaning contained in the shots to evoke a deeper reaction in the audience than the surface impression achieved with metric and rhythmic montage. Over tonal Montage: The synthesis of metric, rhythmic, and tonal montage to achieve a more abstract effect. Dialectic (Intellectual) Montage: The juxtaposition of conflicting shots to evoke an intellectual or emotional reaction which is not contained in the individual shots.

Shot A + Shot B = Idea C Eisenstein outlines a "Montage Theory" (a theory of editing) which attempts to apply the Marxist dialectic to the editing of shots together. At its core, this dialectical theory of montage suggests that shot A (an eye) edited together with shot B (water) does not just produce the sum of its parts (wet eye) but a synthesis of the two according to the logic of the dialectic, something more than the sum of its parts, an idea (crying).

Classic Hollywood / Soviet Model The industry appeals to middle-class spectators The films tell the stories of individual protagonists Hollywood is a cinema of desire, not of intellectual growth The stylistic practices efface the medium The films are built around a star system of "professional" actors The films are designed to appeal to the proletariat The films feature collective heroes The films are designed to educate the proletariat The stylistic practices are aggressive, using the aesthetics to make thematic arguments (collision of images) The films often use non- professional actors