What Is the Soviet Montage Theory?

One of the core draws to working as a creative is the removal of some of the formal rules you'll find in conventional careers and industries. Beyond that, there are creative liberties that allow for imperfection: lines don't have to be straight, fonts can be mixed and vary in size, and the contrast ratio between two colors can be minimal. Art is subjective and often designed to evoke a specific emotion.

However, there are still technical practices and theories that one should follow to ensure the best possible outcome for their project. After all, if you're creating a video project, the goal is to have it seen, viewed, and admired by as many people as possible.

Using established practices, such as the rule of thirds to create beautiful compositions, dissonant tones to introduce unsettling emotions, or J and L cuts to create a more organic flow in the edit, can be helpful.

Another technique that can also elevate a project is today's focus: the Soviet Montage Theory.

What is the Soviet Montage Theory?

The Soviet Montage Theory refers to an editing principle. Of course, many of you are familiar with the montage. It's become a staple in films, especially action and drama, where a passage of time or character growth is demonstrated within a short sequence. 

Montages became iconic during the 80s and 90s when the protagonist was training to overcome their nemesis. Cue: “Gonna Fly Now.” 

However, these montages aren't just a conjunction of random clips. What makes them effective is that the filmmakers followed the core principles of the Soviet Montage Theory. So, let's return to the origins of this technique to better understand the five basic types of montage.  

The core fundamentals of the Soviet Montage Theory revolve around the idea that filmmaking is an art form deeply rooted in the artistry of editing and that different sequences of the same media can evoke entirely different messages.

This may seem like common sense, but it's important to remember that these ideas emerged in the 1920s, during the very early days of cinema itself. At the time, these concepts were still relatively new and unexplored. 

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the new Soviet leaders soon realized how important movies could be for entertainment and as a form of messaging and a way to convey the message of the revolution. Remember, information couldn't be conveyed as quickly and as widely as it is now.

Protesters holding banners at Nevsky Prospect. Image via Wikipedia

Vladimir Lenin, one of the key figures of that era, said that film was "the most important of the arts" for the new country. Films were no longer just about short comedy sketches or dramatic shorts; they were tools used to inspire, educate, and influence people. 

As such, in the early 1920s, a flood of new Soviet filmmakers, including Dziga Vertov, Sergei Eisenstein, Vsevolod Pudovkin, and Lev Kuleshov (more on him in a moment), took strides to challenge conventional forms of filmmaking. 

These filmmakers initially focused on the montage, a method of editing and arranging shots to create new meanings. Eisenstein is arguably the most well-known name for Soviet Montage Cinema. He didn't just make movies, he discovered how editing could make people feel and think differently based on how they were put together. His work didn't just entertain; it challenged audiences and made them engage with big ideas.

Sergei Eisenstein. Image via MUBI

Film stock was expensive and difficult to acquire after the days of the revolution, so directors had to be super creative with what little footage they had. This challenge pushed them to invent new ways of storytelling, using the contrast between different images to stir up ideas and emotions in the audience. 

Their work wasn't just about cool editing tricks, it was a new way of thinking about film: how you put shots together could shape how people think and feel. It may seem silly now because it's such common practice, but it’s similar to filming a vertical video on a phone. This is very normal in 2025, but it would have felt abnormal in 2009 because it wasn't a common practice.

Now, if the mention of the 1920s and the Russian Revolution is triggering a faint memory you can't quite place, it's likely because we've previously covered the Kuleshov Effect—an editing technique developed by Lev Kuleshov, who was also a key figure in the development of the Soviet Montage Theory.

In essence, Kuleshov discovered that viewers’ perception of a sequence can differ significantly depending on the context provided by the surrounding shots.

And with that, we’re introduced to the first type of montage.

1. Intellectual montage 

An intellectual montage is when two shots are paired deliberately to instigate a broader idea or concept in the viewer's mind. It's less about story progression and more about what the contrast or connection between shots means on a deeper level. Lev Kuleshov demonstrates this with his short. 

2. Metric montage 

Metric montage is driven by timing. It involves cutting at specific intervals, regardless of what's happening in the frame. As such, it's a tool that leans heavily on rhythm. It can be helpful in building pressure or even unease within the edits because the edits aren't tied to emotion or action. They're almost mechanical, and that can be unsettling.

3. Rhythmic montage 

Rhythmic montage is the polar opposite of metric montage. Here, the goal is to follow the natural flow of movement and momentum within the frame. So, cutting on action is key. It keeps the continuity intact, respects the pacing, and helps the montage feel fluid and grounded. Given its nature, rhythmic montage is often paired well with music. 

4. Tonal montage 

Tonal montage connects shots through mood. Whether it's matching visuals, sounds, or atmosphere. The goal here is to guide the audience emotionally from one beat to the next. Here, it's less about the plot and more about how it feels.

5. Overtonal montage 

Overtonal montage combines all the other forms listed above, intellectual, metric, rhythmic, and tonal, to build a layered and sometimes more abstract montage. It's not necessarily about logic with this montage. It's more about feeling, texture, and the way video and audio bounce off each other.   

So, to summarize these practices, the Soviet Montage Theory is essentially the idea that a film's meaning can come not just from the individual shots but, more importantly, from how those shots are edited together to create new emotions and interpretations. 

If you'd like to see these montages in use, you must look back at Soviet-era films. Here are a few recommendations. Given their age, most of them are available in full on YouTube. 

• The Death Ray (1925) – Lev Kuleshov
• Man with a Movie Camera (1929) – Dziga Vertov
• Zvenigora (1927) – Alexander Dovzhenko
• Battleship Potemkin (1925) – Sergei Eisenstein
• The End of St. Petersburg (1927) – Vsevolod Pudovkin
• October: Ten Days That Shook the World (1928) – Sergei Eisenstein
• Strike (1925) – Sergei Eisenstein
• Mother (1926) – Vsevolod Pudovkin
• Kino Eye (1924) – Dziga Vertov
• Arsenal (1929) – Alexander Dovzhenko

The Soviet Montage Theory wasn't just powerful because of its unique approach to editing; it held an impactful legacy because it allowed filmmakers to express political ideas during a chaotic time in Soviet history. The films helped challenge how people thought, and because of this, the concept spread across the globe.

Lev Kuleshov. Image via Wikipedia

Akira Kurosawa and Alfred Hitchcock, legendary directors who made their mark during the 1930s, took direct inspiration from the Soviet Montage to build suspense and drama in their films. It's about what that screen can make us feel and think. 

As noted in the introduction, one of the fundamental selling points of creativity is the ability to carve your own path and create work that is uniquely yours. However, these foundational practices can help ensure you're producing the best possible video projects and evoking the necessary emotions from the audience. After all, isn’t that the entire point of filmmaking?

For more film tips and techniques, be sure to check out our other Film School articles next!