Was looking at montages the other day in the lesson and Chris used 127 Hours opening as a good example of one.
A montage is basically a sequence of short shots that show a progressive in time condensed into a few shots. They are primarily used to open a film to help set the scene or during a film to progress the time on without making a jump. A famous example of a montage sequence is from Rocky I when he is training. This sequences shows him training and running along changing locations. It shows the audience a long period of narrative time but in a very small amount of air time. As a viewer you except this quick progression and jump cuts as it is still chronological and makes sense as shows the natural progression.
Danny Boyle choose to use a montage sequence at the beginning of his film 127 House to help set up the themes for the film. This sequence is made up of split screen shots of crowded places with a lot of movement, this relates as an opposite to how James Franco is during the majority of the film when he is stuck in with arm behind a boulder. It shows so much communication and busy enviroments mixed in with shots of James Character getting ready to go out on his own without any form of communication with anyone, isolated almost.
