Summary: Soviet Montage

Montage is a French word that literally means putting together or assembling shots. It also refers to a filming technique, editing style, or form of movie collage consisting of a series of short shots or images that are rapidly put together into a coherent sequence to create a composite picture.

Soviet Montage is an approach in understanding and creating cinema that relies heavily upon editing. It emphasizes dynamic and irregular relationship between two different shots. This editing style was developed by the Soviet filmmakers of the 1920s such as Pudovkin, Vertov and Eisentein.

The dramatic impact of Soviet Montage broke all the rules of the smooth, invisible editing of the classic Hollywood style. The technique in Soviet films contains more shots compare to Hollywood films. 

In Soviet Montage, the director will use non-actors to play key role. Soviet filmmakers were also strongly encouraged not to depict contemporary Soviet social reality in a negative manner.

The use of detailed structures of shots and coordinated music gives an overall montage patterns. The rhythm of music can control the style of the montage style. Music are also able to control emotional shifts within a scene.

Soviet Montage films play an educational role within the perspective formation to instruct the Russians and to promote class consciousness throughout the world.