A Study of Sergei Eisenstein’s Montage Theory Essay Example for Free

A Study of Sergei Eisensteins Montage Theory EssayCinema is a visual concept hard marked by the objective of enterntainment, yet is also an ideology that is subject to a whole universe of theoretical frameworks. Many of it may trace their beginnings to a technique, as with the montage, which in French means putting together. This is the solid base of Russian cinema, more specifically in the montage theory tender to by Russian motion picturemakers. It is defined as a cinematic approach that depends mainly on editing, and the value of cuts in a film. In this revolutionary philosophy in cinema, probably the most recognized name is that of Sergei Eisenstein.Eisenstein was born to Jewish parents in Tsarist Russia in 1898, and was educated in Riga and St. Petersburg. He in condition(p) to speak a number of languages fluently, and was urged by his father to follow his path of becoming a civil engineer. Nonetheless, the young Eisenstein already had serious interests in theatre, and washed-out all of his free time watching films. The Bolshevik Revolution further reinforced his penchant for cinema, as he found himself educating workers, peasants, and troops in distant areas with camera in handand a gun in the other.Cinema was then perceived as a weapon by Eisenstein, a imprint he would carry with him for the rest of his filmmaking career (Jonas, 1998). II, The Soviet Montage Soviet montage films were defined by its own set of values, not necessarily moreover techniques, but executed in a specific way. The socialist thinking was obviously present in this style, for individual characters in these films had no place as focal points. Social classes are the main issues, and the role of separately character is to represent one. Various organized protests are also common elements of the films narrative, echoing the Russian revolution experience.Eisenstein formulated the system that resulted in a Synthesis, starting with a Thesis, followed by an Anti-Thesisa found ation of the montage that traces its origins to Marxist themes of mankind history and experience being in perpetual conflict wherein a force clashes with a counterforce the product of this encounter would be a new intellection or concept, something absolutely greater than its origins (Karpenko, 2002). The montage style utilized editing and the resulting film cuts to generate reactions from the audience, usually in ways that defy convention.This contradicts traditional persistence editing, which shows scenes as they happen chronologically or at least in the same time realm montage cutting produced overlapping or ovoid time relations between cuts. Most exemplary of this technique is Eisensteins Strike, where he juxtaposed scenes of two separate characters and time frames via jump cuts. In the serial publication showing a police officer and a butcher, the editing serves a particular purposerelate the connection between the acts being done by the officer and the butcher, in this case portray the idea that the workers were being slaughtered, just like animals.Eisenstein introduced his theory of intellectual montage, fully at work in this film by showing conflict in the juxtaposition of unrelated shots (Trischak, 1998). Eisenstein called montage a merge of opposites in art, through unity and conflict. He created this theory in the beginning to go against film tradition, negating the lack of character and stimulus in the logical editing of films. He listed several categories of montage, as well as the purpose of each 1. Metric Montage. Shots are edited together according to their measured length, and are arranged according to a measure of music.Tension is invariably produced by the faction of short shots and the expected flow of melody or tone. 2. Rhythmic Montage. Compared to careful montage, action is given equal importance as the shots length, allowing for occasional(a) conflicts between the montages rhythm and movement. An example would be the Odessa steps time in Battleship Potemkin, where the shot showing soldiers marching does not take on the editing rhythm. This violates all metric requirements, effecting absolute tension and prepares the viewer for the iconic baby carriage scene. 3.Tonal Montage. Generally a level higher than metric montage, this style is created by the specific scenes emotional tone. Vakulnichuks death in Potemkin, somber and sedate, appears in complete contrast to the steps sequences fast cuts. With each shots length at five seconds, this sequence serves as caesura, or a device to provide passage from the previous scene of violence to the citizens angry demonstrations. The similarities between rhythmic and tonal montage can be clearly seen as they both operate via the actions shown within each frame (HATII, 2008).