montage
mon-TAZH
/mɒnˈtɑːʒ/
A technique of film editing where a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information.
In Hollywood, it often means a quick training or passage-of-time sequence; in Soviet film theory, it means juxtaposing images to generate new symbolic meaning.
The story behind the word. Borrowed from French 'montage' (assembling or mounting). Film pioneer Sergei Eisenstein adapted the term in the 1920s to describe how juxtaposing two unrelated shots creates a brand new mental concept in the viewer's mind.
Word relationships
- sequence: Sequence refers to any series of related scenes, whereas montage specifically implies rapid editing of distinct short shots.
- collage: Collage usually refers to still visual arts assembled from paper or fabrics, whereas montage emphasizes filmic time and sequence.
- long take: A continuous shot without any editing cuts.
Commonly confused with
- monologue: A monologue is a long speech by one person, whereas a montage is a sequence of edited visual shots.
Word family
- montager (noun): One who creates a montage.
Collocations
- training montage
- opening montage
- editing montage
- photo montage
Example sentences
- "The training montage compressed six months of grueling physical practice into a three-minute musical sequence." Film Editing
- "The museum displayed a photomontage reflecting the turbulent history of the early twentieth century." Art & Design
Memory hook
MONSTAGE: MOUNTing STAGE by stage short clips together. Mounting clips together fast.
When not to use
Do not use for a single continuous, unedited long camera shot.
Fun facts
- Soviet film theorist Lev Kuleshov proved that showing an actor's neutral face followed by soup made audiences think he was hungry, but followed by a coffin made them think he was sad—this is the Kuleshov Effect, the foundation of montage.
Related words
Explore more words
juxtaposition, abridge, flashback, edit, synthesize, condense
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