oviet Montage embodies the ideology that meaning of films is derived from the editing

This week focuses on Soageviet Mont. I understand the video files are large and having a hard time loading for those who may have a slower internet connection. You can always download the lecture slides and I have uploaded the PDF version with images (also downloadable) if you are having trouble through the D2L platform.

Soviet Montage embodies the ideology that meaning of films is derived from the editing and that the splice (cut) is the most important component of developing your narrative. Your assignment this week is to read the Dziga Vertov and Sergei Eisenstein’s writings to understand each of their philosophies. The Eisenstein piece is from a collection of his writings called Film Form and is presented form a more technical approach, describing the different kinds of montage and how they can be used. Vertov’s piece is a manifesto: a philosophical exclamation of what montage offers. Watch their films (Battleship Potemkin and the entire Man with a Movie Camera) to understand the practical application of their theories.

Then read the work of Maya Deren, avant-garde filmmaker known for her dance and dreamlike films. She also writes about her creative process and philosophical approach to filmmaking, from editing to amateurism: and watch her films. Think about how each of the artists’ philosophies, theories are expressed in their films. Cite and describe the specific moments in the films that exemplify that. Maya Deren is not part of the montage movement, nor do her films use montage to same effect as the Soviets, think about how the two Soviet filmmakers and Deren’s work are methodologically similar – how does Deren’s work (the writing and the actual films) embody the ideology of the edit as the driving force of the narrative?