Suhr, C, Willerslev, R 2013, Transcultural Montage, Berghahn Books, USA, pp. 159- 163.

One thought on “Suhr, C, Willerslev, R 2013, Transcultural Montage, Berghahn Books, USA, pp. 159- 163.

  1. This small excerpt is interesting in that it examines montage and its use in filmmaking with a cultural perspective. It explains that ethnographic filmmakers make sparse use of montage in films, but remarks that montage is ‘a necessary and inseparable part of any form of cinema’. Its view on montage is much more abstract, describing it as an agenda and ‘inseparable from political agendas and ideology’.
    This source was useful in that it has reminded me that behind every montage there is a filmmaker, and behind every filmmaker is a purpose. While montage does certainly disrupt the real time of events and is subject to continuity problems and such, it is a powerful tool for telling a story in a specific way, often bringing elements of pace that the long take does not.
    Some of the arguments that the source made are insightful, particularly on the different tendencies of ethnographic filmmakers, exploring montage with the intention of framing or understanding different cultures through film. This is interesting as it describes montage as not only a visual tool for storytelling, but rather a vehicle for deeper meaning, a unique perspective on the concept of montage.

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