You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
RE: Soviet Montage Theory and You! Part 3 - Counter Theories
To answer your question: I think the message of a film - like all forms of communication - is the responsibility of the filmmaker. The same as if a person who is speaking is responsible for the message he or she is trying to convey.
You may have viewers/listeners who receive a different message than intended. That's the nature of communication. But just because the message was imperfectly formed or received does not mean that therefore the message is essentially in the hands of the receiver.
Great point - as artists and filmmakers really it's our responsibility to understand the psychology of the viewer. In my opinion, that's why theories like this which try to establish some kind of visual grammar is very important to the craft!
Absolutely. And of course both performance and editing affect and determine the message. There's no either-or, and it's necessary to understand the importance of both.