Notes on Montage

'The film Sense' - Sergei Eisenstein

Montage is a fundamental principle of film. The principle of montage consists in the juxtaposition of fragments (shots, visuals, sound, dialogue etc).

Montage is a creative technique: fragment A placed in relation to fragment B does not simply create fragment AB but fragment C, a third element. This third element, in Eisenstein's theory, is an image in the mind of the viewer;

'Piece A and Piece B, derived from elements of the theme, in juxtaposition give birth to an image in the viewer's mind in which the theme is clearly embodied'

Eisenstein theorises the fragments in montage as representations which juxtapose to create a subjective compound image of the theme in the mind of the viewer.

Eisensteins theory of montage s directed to literary narrative uses. However montage as a principle (the juxtaposition of elements and fragments) runs much deeper and reaches much further than film and literary uses. Further, I suspect, than Eisenstein suspected.