Sergei Eisenstein pioneered the Soviet montage theory and perfected or validated some specific techniques and uses in montage creation. Eisenstein saw montage editing as a contrast to mainstream continuity editing in that the sequence did not need to traditionally represent a "realistic," logical sequence of events that communicates a passage of time or provides straightforward exposition. Instead Eisenstein and his peers saw montage editing as a way to present a collective series of images that communicated certain meanings by being grouped together, or juxtaposed, in conflict.
Metric, Rhythmic, Tonal and Associated Montages
The methods of montage grow increasingly complicated technically as they simultaneously rely more on emotional appeals and continue to incorporate the previous techniques. The most straightforward method of montage is metric montages that were edited to transition to the next shot at a set rate throughout the montage regardless if the preceding image was "complete." Rhythmic montages follow the same technical guidelines but the images are chosen more carefully to improve the emotional appeal. In tonal montages, the same rules apply but the overall image selection has more of a theme, which is usually selected to be intensely emotional. An overtonal or associational montage incorporates aspects of all these to achieve a more distorted, experimental final work.
Intellectual Montage
The intellectual montage method is one in which the images themselves do not individually mean as much as the collected images designed to convey an overall message. The message has often been used as an extension of the filmmaker's beliefs and is represented by the individual clips used in an intellectual montage. Eisenstein himself advocated using this technique to symbolize culture clash.
Artificially Produced Images of Motion
One technique of montage theory is artificially produced images of motion, using images to either illustrate that a logical sequence was happening or to make an artistic statement by "illogically" making an object separate from its well-known function. For a logical example, a series of images of bread in a toaster can use various angles to imply the toaster was toasting the bread. An illogical version of this example could be omitting from this sequence an image of the bread being pushed down to be toasted.
Emotional Combination
Emotional combination is a technique that contrasts one thought or action with another so the viewer will form a correlation between them in their heads. This is often done with a metaphor and the human subjects of the metaphor being intercut in the montage, for example a line of assembly workers shown alongside cattle being branded.
Liberation of the Action From Time and Space
Another technique is known as "liberation of the action from time and space." This means that objects, people and scenery can be altered and superimposed to be layered in relation to each other in a way that conveys symbolic meaning.
Montage in Reform
The idea that montage, as an exhibition of conflict, could create in the mind of the viewer new and unrelated ideas of broader thought mirrored the way Eisenstein saw world conflicts enabling social and political reform and revolutionary happenings.
