What Are Visual Harmonics By Derivative With Harmonic Montage?

A visual leader in cinematography weaves together distinct images so that each sequence of frames conveys a unique emotion or idea without redundancy.

In music, harmonics (of the fundamental or dominant) are the vibrations that occur with the vibration of the dominant tone, which they accompany. But in the movie, the visual harmonics turn out to be... an element of a fourth dimension! Possessing such an excellent instrument of perception, for the sensation of movement, as cinematography is—even at its primitive level—we shall soon learn to orient ourselves in this four-dimensional space-time continuum and feel as at home in it as in our own. slippers.

What are "visual harmonics" and hence, by derivation, "harmonic montage"? The "orthodox" montage, Eisenstein states (and now also considers the montage practiced by him up to this film to be "orthodox"), is a dominant montage. That is, the editing of frames according to the dominant, visible value they contain. The emotional effect, in this case, derives - let's remember the film Potemkin - from the juxtaposition, from the collision of two frames with opposite dominants, which were in conflict (opposed by graphic value, by the size of the load, the length of the frame, etc.). Precisely to create the dominance of a sequence, in the film Potemkin, Eisenstein had used these guide frames.

The use of distinct visual elements and color coding in complex narratives facilitates the connection and sequence of frames, maintaining the spatio-temporal continuity of the cinematic story.

In cinematography, where a network of visual lines develops, also called narrative thread, so that in each narrative "node" several distinct visual elements meet (a reflexive point is called a narrative node, such as a monologue, in which main themes and motifs are encountered). Because of this, visual lines interweave with different meanings, so that no group of two adjacent images (successive frames) conveys the same emotion or idea. The director, his main task, is to demonstrate that such a way of narration can always be achieved if we use different perspectives; in certain cases, however, resources may be too few if we consider the complexity of the scenario.

Observation. A way of organizing the networks of narrative threads that form visual lines, analogous to that in the visual arts, is sometimes encountered in practice when structuring the story. Namely, in the case of complex narratives, in order not to unnecessarily complicate the connection and sequence of frames, it is important for the director to use distinct visual elements (or symbols whose functions are denoted by different color codes); in this case, the space-time continuity in the film resides in the way the scenes are edited.

When choosing leadership as a vision you must interweave visual lines with different meanings, avoiding emotional or conceptual repetitiveness between successive frames.

Of course, in this case, the crucial moments of the narrative, captured by a well-structured script, do not have to be of the same intensity of perception that the audience expects. The montage plays, in this case, the role of narrative knots of the epic thread from the script itself, and the threads of the subject, having the role of thematic guide, unravel only with the help of the scenes that clarify and reveal the essence of the story.

Harmonic montage, as opposed to the "orthodox" dominant montage practiced by Eisenstein in earlier films, can be seen as an attempt to demonstrate that one can always achieve a complex narrative using 15 different types of visual elements; In some cases, however, 14 elements may be too few to express the desired complexity.

Visual composition facilitates the connection and sequence of frames, maintaining the spatio-temporal continuity of the film.

This approach to assembly is analogous to the organization of complex electrical circuits. Just as circuits use different colored wires to avoid tangling when connected, harmonic montage uses distinct visual elements to avoid narrative confusion. The "apparatus clips" in the circuits can be seen as the key points of the narrative, painted in the same emotional "colors" as the scenes that precede or follow them.

In this context, individual scenes play the role of wires in the circuit, while the crucial moments of the narrative represent the nodes of the network. This approach allows the director to create a "four-dimensional space-time continuum", where visual harmonics become an element of a fourth cinematic dimension, giving viewers a complex and multi-layered experience.

Harmonic montage therefore becomes an excellent tool of perception, allowing the director to orchestrate the sense of movement and emotion in a much more sophisticated way than in dominant montage. This advanced technique allows viewers to orient themselves and feel "at home" in this new cinematic dimension, as comfortably as in "their own slippers".

Directorial leadership consists of orchestrating networks of visual and narrative lines, creating reflective nodes that connect diverse themes and motifs, providing a coherent and engaging narrative.

What are visual harmonics by derivative with harmonic montage? They are visual elements that complement and enhance each other, creating a unified aesthetic experience. I say this because they function similarly to musical harmonies, as opposed to a montage that integrates multiple layers of visual meaning as an integral part of the film's narrative rhythm and flow.

* Note: Ion Barna - Eisenstein, Tineretului Publishing House, 1966.