Technical Instruction | Montages

Montaging is a technique in filmmaking in which a series of shot shots are edited into a sequence in order to condense time. It was originally introduced to cinema by Sergei Eisenstein and early Soviet directors utilised it as a synonym for creative editing.

The montage sequence tends to be used to suggest to the audience, the passage of time, instead of creating a symbolic meaning as it does in Soviet montage theory.

From the 1930s to the 1950s, montaging sequences often combined numerous short shots with special optical effects (fades/dissolves, split screens, double and triple exposures) dance and music. They were often assembled by someone who specialised in montage editing rather than the director or editor.

The standard elements of a typical sports training montage include a build-up where the potential sports hero confronts his failure to train adequately. The solution is a serious, individual training regimen. The character is shown participating in physical training through a series of short, cut sequences. An inspirational song (often one with a quick tempo) typically provides the only sound. At the end of the montage several weeks have passed in the course of just a few minutes on screen and the character is now prepared for the 'big competition'. One of the most well-known example of this is the training sequence in the 1976 movie Rocky, which depicts Rocky's run up the Rocky Steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.