THE CUTTING EDGE: THE MAGIC OF MOVIE EDITING

1. Eisenstein's ideas about montage have been described as 'revolutionary'. He was the first real director, who's staging ideas and incredible juxtaposition of images were absorbed into American Cinema. Sergei Einstein who came from Russia was part of the Russian revolution of film editing, using different effects and wanted to inspire the nation with this medium. His work was described as seeing editing like history, as a clash of images and ideas. The meanings were not in the shots themselves, but the collision of the shots being put together like the speed, volume and Rhythm. A collision sparks a new meaning higher of order. The messages between each cut and edit can determine the outlook in the context. Einstein reveled in his cuts, wanting the audience to know it's a film. 

    

2. A film that has been influenced by Eisenstein's Montage theory is 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day'. There is a slow tense build-up with the young John Connor and all the characters coming into context. To create a nightmarish quality at that specific scene, the edits speed is in slow-motion, to create this tense build-up. Then there is a cathartic break, which helps kick the action into gear. Watching this scene takes me back to my child-hood years when I first started watching it. Seeing the scary terminator come towards John Connor, made me think the terminator would come towards me because I was relating to how he was feeling. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRX12zkY9PI        

3. The Kuleshov effect is a film editing montage effect demonstrated by Russian film maker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910 and 1920's. The experimental piece of film about the soup, coffin, and the little girl playing with the teddy bear, shows this technique being used. The power of montage is editing one shot/sequence, a second and a third when put together, create a more powerful meaning. It is usually the third scene that has more emotional meaning. First shot is the man staring hungrily at the soup, through a blank expression. The second is of the man staring with the same expression at the woman, but it seems more lustful. The third shot, the man is staring intently at the little girl, but with the same expression as the previous two scenes.