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Sergei Eisenstein talks about five different methods of montage through out his work. These varieties of montage build one upon the other so the “higher” forms also include the approaches of the “simpler” varieties.

Metric – Where the editing follows a specific number of frames, this is based purely on the physical nature of time, cutting to the next shot no matter what is happening within the image. The reason for this is to get an emotional reaction from the audience.

Rhythmic – The cutting happens for the sake of continuity. This creates visual continuity but it may also be used in order to keep with the pace of the film. A good example of this is the the legendary car/train chase scene in The French Connection.

Tonal – A tonal montage uses the emotional meaning of the shots. Not just manipulating the temporal length of the cuts or its rhythmical characteristics. The point of this is to elicit a reaction that is more complex than Rhythmic and Metric. An example of this is in one of Eisenstein’s fllms called Battleship Potemkin where the character ‘Vakulinchuk’ dies.

Overtonal/Associational – An accumulation of metric, rhythmic, and tonal montage to synthesise its effect on the audience for an even more abstract and complicated effect.

Intellectual – Uses a combination of shots from outside the film in order to create a meaning. A good example of this would be the scene from apocalypse now where Klutz is being executed. They mix in shots of a water buffalo being slaughtered.

Montage is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information. The term has been used in various contexts. It was introduced to cinema primarily by Sergei Eisenstein

1. Metric Montage

The practice of cutting according to exact measurement, irregardless of the content of the shot.

2. Rhythmic Montage

The practice of cutting according to the content of the shots, or continuity editing. This is the most commonly used form of montage. Each shot’s length derives from the specifics of the piece and from its planned length according to the structure of the sequence.

3. Tonal Montage

The practice of cutting according to the emotional tone of the piece. This type of montage is a bit more subjective in the sense that you’re not cutting towards any physical aspect of media. Instead, it’s a combination of both metric and rhythmic montage to highlight any emotional themes that may be present at that particular point of time in your story. These shots can be matched by both video and aural characteristics.

4. Overtonal Montage 

The practice of cutting according to the various “tones” and “overtones” of the shot. This one is even more abstract than tonal montage. In the words of Eisenstein, “from the moment that overtones can be heard parallel with the basic sound, there also can be sensed vibrations, oscillations that cease to impress as tones, but rather as purely physical displacements of the perceived impression.”

From this, we can take away that overtonal montage is the intermixing of larger themes (whether political or religious or philosophical) with the emotional tones of the piece through the use of metric and rhythmic montage.

5. Intellectual Montage

The practice of cutting according to the shot’s relationship to an intellectual concept.