Montages

A montage, in filmmaking, is a technique in which shots are edited together into a sequence to condense information down into a few seconds. Montages are used for many things - in some situations, they are used to show a passage of time passing, and in some they are used to convey a lot of information in a short time. However, they are sometimes just used for creative editing.

There is a great example of a montage in the film Over the Top (1987). It's very effective, as it showcases the many different contestants in the arm wrestling contest, and the scale of it all. There are a total of 30 cuts in the one minute clip. The shots in this clip are relatively close up, which is a typical convention of montages, as they allow the audience to focus easily on what the director wants them to - if they flashed past too quickly, with no real indication of what there was to look at, it would be confusing for the audience, as they wouldn't get the same meaning from it.

The training montage in Rocky IV (1985) is another good example of a montage. Again, it makes use of editing together short shots in sequence to show Rocky's training workout - it emphasizes the extent of his hard work, as it shows him doing many different exercises. However, this montage does something else, too - it uses juxtaposition to help us root for Rocky. It greatly contrasts his training, which is out in the wild and close to nature, with that of his opponent, whose is in a high-tech gym facility - leading us to want him to win, as he appears more real and down to earth.

Fast cutting is a technique used when making a montage, in which no shot lasts much longer than 3 seconds. It is usually used to show fast-paced chaos, as it makes the audience focus on a lot of things in a short amount of time. It can also be used to imply time moving forward, or a change of location, as using a lot of short shots allows this to be represented in a way the audience will understand what's happening. Notable examples of fast cutting include the shower scene in the film Psycho (1960), and the can-can scene in the film Moulin Rouge! (2001).

The hip-hop montage is a style of montage most famously used by Darren Aronofsky. It's different to a fast cutting montage, as hip-hop montages tend to emphasize an action through close-ups. Aronofsky used this technique most noticeably in his films Requiem for a Dream (2000), and Pi (1998), to portray drug use. I think this is a very effective way to portray the character's state of mind, especially during drug scenes, or ones where a character is in a jumpy state of mind, as the exaggerated noises, repeated shots, fast cuts and close ups emphasize energy and intensity. Unlike montages, which are used effectively to show the progression of time, I find that hip-hop montages, especially in the clip above, warp time and make it a lot harder to tell what's happening when. However, this is nicely paired with the jumpiness and intensity they also convey, as they go hand in hand when reflecting a character's state of mind.

I would definitely consider using montages in my film opening. I think that they're incredibly effective at showing off a space in a short amount of time, and so are perfect for film openings. I am more drawn toward hip-hop montages for my coursework, as they are a lot less conventional, however, these can be tricky to get right and so I think I would have to practice a bit. I think contrasting a montage of some sort with a long, still establishing shot would be interesting to experiment with, and so I think if practicing filming them goes well I will attempt to write one into my coursework.