Today’s Class

1. Hand in Paragraph

2. Recap trim tool

3. Review Montage from Last Class

4. Discuss Suspense

5. Learn to make FCP work for you

Montage Recap

Sergei M. Eisenstein

• Image 1 + Image 2 = an Idea

1 2

IDEA

Two Images that may haveNo similarities visually,

but when combined create an abstract idea

Sergei Eisenstein5 Types of Montage

1.Metric2.Rhythmic3.Tonal4.Overtonal5.Intellectual

Pudovkin’s Approach to Montage

“If the editing be merely an uncontrolled combination of the various pieces, the

spectator will understand nothing from it; but if it be coordinated according to a definitely selected course of events or

conceptual line, either agitated or calm, it will either excite or soothe the spectator.”

-V.I. Pudovkin

Pudovkin’s approach to montage differed drastically from Eisensteins in that he believed in building thestory as if each shot is a building block. Each shot builton character and story and when all the blocks came togetherit would represent a strong film.

Suspense Editing

Suspense Vs. Surprise

In the Words of a MasterThere is a distinct difference between “suspense” and “surprise,”

and yet many pictures continually confuse the two. I’ll explain what

I mean.

We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let us suppose that

there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing

happens, and then all of a sudden, “Boom!” There is an explosion.

The public is Surpised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an

absolutely ordinary scene of no special consequence. Now, let us

take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and

the and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the

anarchist place it there.

In the Words of a MasterThe public is aware that the bomb is going to explode at one o’clock and there is a clock in the décor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions this same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: “You shouldn’t be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it’s about to explode!”

In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second case we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed. Except when the surprise is a twist, that is, when the unexpected ending is, in itself, the highlight of the story

SUSPENSE EDITING

There are four important things to keep in mind when editing suspense

1. Try to be involved in the script phase, look for suspenseful scenes and think about the various shots that could improve the scene and make it more suspenseful.

2. Select your shots to leave the impact on your audience

3. Timing of the shots – holding on a shot or cutting tightly.

4. Pace/Rhythm

• Timing – Lengthening or shortening a event

• Pacing – Altering the rate of cutting to mechanically control the speed of the passage of an event (Long drawn out shots vs. Quick Cutting)

ExamplesNo Country for Old MenDir: The Coen Bro’sEditor: Roderick JaynesAKA: The Coen Bro’s

Vsevolod Pudovkin1893-1953

• Studied Physics and Chemistry in University

• Started as an actor in the industry

• Helped Lev Kuleshov with early experiments

• Begins to develop his own approach to montage with his film Mother.