Advanced Editing Notes Questions: 3. Soviet Montage and 4. Realism

3. Soviet Montage and Formalism
a. What was Pudovkin's concept of constructive editing and how did it manifest itself on film?
Pudovkin created the concept of constructive editing in which he wanted each shot in film to make new meanings. For this type of editing, close ups are used to create a unified meaning. Constructive editing favored close ups, textures, symbols, and other selected details. These were montages that, in his opinion, was a great way to express life. Formalists believe that the art of film lies more in the way materials are taken apart and put back together.



b. What was the Kuleshov effect and give me an example of how is it used in today's film's?
The Kuleshov Effect is a type of film technique in which emotion isn’t created by the actors’ performances, but by the juxtapositions of shots. Filmmakers utilize this effect to bring out certain emotions from their audiences without much talent from the actors. This technique is used in today’s films still. For example, a shot of a man who smiles at a women and her child makes the audience believe that he is admiring their close relationship. A shot of the same man and then a shot of a girl in a bikini makes us believe that the guy is a pervert. It all depends on how the shots are put together.



c. What was Eisensteinian Montage and how does it work in the "Odessa Step" sequence?
It is the montage of sharply contrasting or conflicting images. In the “Odessa Step”, the images of a small boy being trampled on the stairs by people are contrasted with the image of the aristocratic women with the umbrella. These two images are highly differently, but it shows the differences in the human condition. It shows that the soldiers do not spare any expense when terrorizing the people.

4. Andre Bazin and Realism



a. What were Andre Bazin's frustrations with Classical and Formalistic film making?
Bazin believed there were distortions in using formalist techniques, especially thematic editing because it can violate the complexities of reality. Formalists were egocentric and manipulative, he believed. Bazin also thought montage imposes a simplistic ideology over the infinite variability of actual life. Classical Cutting was also seen as potentially corrupting because the technique encourages audiences to follow the shot sequence without our being conscious of its arbitrariness.

b. What do Realist filmmakers strive for in their work?
They strive for the recording of what actually exists. Realistic cinema must balance the artist vision with the objective nature of the medium. Directors should reveal the poetic implications of ordinary people, events, and places.

c. What techniques to realists use in their filmmaking?
Techniques include long shots, wide screen, lengthy takes, deep focus, panning, craning, tilting or tracking rather than cutting to individual shots. This leaves the audience the ability to “observe, choose, and form an opinion”. This also forces audiences to be more creative and less passive.