Montage: ‘The Idea of montage in Soviet Art and Film’ by David Bordwell

Montage was used to create a narrative to create metaphors, control rhythm and make significant points within a scene/shot. it is known as the assemblage of shots that work together to create a new synthesis, and an overall meaning. Montage consists of fundamental principles which include, assemblage of heterogenous parts, juxtaposition of fragments, and the demand for the audience to make conceptual connections. It comes together through the strategy of assemblage in the media elements that bring together a shot. Montage guides the audience in a specific direction or desired mood, which is the backbone of all cinema. The camera acts like a mechanical eye according to Bordwell, and he states, “I, a machine, am showing you a world, the likes of which only I can see”. This phrase is correct in the essence of cinema, as the audience can only see what the camera allows. It has the power to determine the story and expectations for the audience to follow. It determines what we see, how we feel, and what we come to think.