BLOG QUESTION: PUDOVKIN AND MONTAGE

Summarize one of Pudovkin's techniques outlined in this video essay that interests you. How does it contribute to the storytelling in the modern movie clip that the narrator talks about? Why do you find this interesting?

One of Pudovkin's editing techniques that interested me was symbolism. Essentially, a symbolic cut is when you transition from one shot to another, but the connection between the shots have a symbolic connection. For example, in Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock uses a shot of a bloody drain and transitions it to a shot of the lifeless character's eye, symbolizing the loss of life (As water goes down the drain it is considered a "loss", think "A life down the drain"). This contributes to the storytelling by communicating messages visually, rather than having to explicitly explain (through acting/dialogue) the message of the story/scene . I find this interesting because a symbolic cut isn't as noticeable to the viewer as most are, unless the audience has a deep understanding of the plot. It's definitely something you only seem to notice on your 2nd or 3rd watch of a movie, which makes it fascinating to me as it allows for movies to be interpreted in unique ways.