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Why do people get annoyed with montages?

post #1 of 24
2/27/08 at 7:54pm
Thread Starter 
This thread was inspired by the most recent Academy Awards ceremony.

Jon Stewart made several jokes about montages and even showed some that mocked what they're all about. On a related tack, people tend to make fun of montages IN movies. Trey Parker and Matt Stone did a song about it in the "South Park" episode "Asspen", and re-used that song in "Team America: World Police".

Basically, I have to ask this: Why do people get annoyed with montages? What is it about them that causes people to crack wise and get snide?

I have no problem with montages at all. When it comes to the ones at Academy Awards ceremonies, I find them to be the best part of the show, if only because I'm more interested in where cinema has been than where it's going.

As for montages IN movies, I have no problem with them, either. I find them tremendously energizing, and they can cause you to fill in your own blanks as well. At least, that's what I do.

Sincerely,

John Kilduff...

Thoughts, guys (and gals)?
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post #2 of 24
2/27/08 at 8:57pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

I like montages at award shows. Done right, they can be quite effective. Unfortunately, last year's Oscar show was something of a montage overload. They just did one for the most inane reasons. They had a film noir montage. I like film noir, but what the hell did it have to do with anything?
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post #3 of 24
2/27/08 at 8:58pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

I have no problem with montages. My problem with the ones featured during the AA telecast was that they weren't about the 5 Best Picture noms as has been the tradition in recent years.

When it comes to film, a montage can be a lazy shorthand for more skillful storytelling; tacks a few scenes together in a logical sequence, slap a song (with relevant lyrics) onto the result and voila.

--
H
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post #4 of 24
2/27/08 at 9:50pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

In the case of the most recent Awards show, it's because there were way too fucking many of them. They were also all abridged from their original versions, so they didn't even carry the intended impact.
It's like the saying goes: All good things in moderation.
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post #5 of 24
2/27/08 at 9:52pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

In addition to what Holadem said, the montage-as-storytelling-device is a tired cliche. That's why it is so frequently mocked.

The montage-as-Academy-Award-ceremony-filler is annoying because it pads out a broadcast that is already overly long with retrospectives that are largely interchangeable and pointless. One or two montages during the Oscarcast (with one of them being the In Memoriam segment) would be plenty but, in recent years, they've really been over-using them.

That said, I was impressed that one of this year's montages actually showed footage from the infamous Rob Lowe/Snow White duet.
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post #6 of 24
2/28/08 at 5:50am

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SD_Brian
In addition to what Holadem said, the montage-as-storytelling-device is a tired cliche. That's why it is so frequently mocked.

The montage-as-Academy-Award-ceremony-filler is annoying because it pads out a broadcast that is already overly long with retrospectives that are largely interchangeable and pointless. One or two montages during the Oscarcast (with one of them being the In Memoriam segment) would be plenty but, in recent years, they've really been over-using them.

That said, I was impressed that one of this year's montages actually showed footage from the infamous Rob Lowe/Snow White duet.

I almost didn't reply to this because I also have a 180 degree difference from yours in another thread ... but that's just how it goes ...

You suggest that a montage is a pointless filler ... but what exactly is the point of the Oscars other than self-promotion?

I really don't have an opinion on montage within films but I can think of nothing that I like better than a well done montage to an artist or segment of the films or arts. I can think of no more effective way of presenting this than a montage.

What is filler to me is acceptance speeches thanking their agents.
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post #7 of 24
2/28/08 at 7:51am

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

I like seeing montages, too. Some of them, however, do come across as pointless. In this case, I think it would be better if they introduce what the montage is about before showing.

~T
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post #8 of 24
2/28/08 at 8:37am

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rich_d
What is filler to me is acceptance speeches thanking their agents.
Good point. Why should the focus of the Academy Awards be on the Academy Award winners? That's just crazy talk
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post #9 of 24
2/28/08 at 8:41am

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

A good montage is a work of art. Conan the Barbarian has an early montage tracing Conan's youth and slavery. It's brilliant.

A bad montage is a joke. It's used so often by mediocre practitioners, it's hard to stand out. But it's still possible.
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post #10 of 24
2/28/08 at 2:33pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

"Even Rocky had a montage..."
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post #11 of 24
2/28/08 at 10:24pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

I think Adam hit the nail on the head. People get annoyed with montages because they're overused, and often misused, which ruins it for those trying to do it well.

When are they going to do a montage of montages?
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post #12 of 24
2/29/08 at 5:28am

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewA

When are they going to do a montage of montages?
Damnit Mathew, you stole my joke.
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post #13 of 24
2/29/08 at 11:54am
Thread Starter 

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff_CusBlues
Damnit Mathew, you stole my joke.

Matthewe's joke, in turn was a re-tooled version of a joke told by Jon Stewart when he first hosted the Oscars back in 2006.

Well, thanks for the feedback, everybody. It's nice to get a variety of viewpoints on this.

On a different tack, what do you make of the YouTube videos where users take clips from their favorite movies and make montages of their own? Do you think they're well-done or do they also earn your jokes?

Sincerely,

John Kilduff...

Or does it depend on how it's done?
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post #14 of 24
2/29/08 at 1:15pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Kilduff
On a different tack, what do you make of the YouTube videos where users take clips from their favorite movies and make montages of their own? Do you think they're well-done or do they also earn your jokes?

The beautiful thing about youtube and other video upload groups is that it moves film lovers from being passive to being creative. It allows an aspiring filmmaker to pick up some editing skills as well as get feedback on their work.

We shouldn't expect that youtube should be any different than any broad spectrum where we should expect to see everything from the very bad anniversary montage to the song "Memories" to something really good and clever.

So I can endure the very bad Bond Montage with the hackneyed opening of "Bond, James Bond." I greatly prefer that people try, learn and enjoy then just sit around.
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post #15 of 24
2/29/08 at 1:56pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

I love montages at the Oscars. They've done some really cool ones, either straight up or for humor.

In actual films, they're too often lazy and manipulative storytelling (not to mention a chance to plug a song on the soundtrack). It's a LOT easier to show a quick montage of emotional moments than actually write and show those changes happening.

Some things in a plot probably should be in montage form - a poster above pointed out Conan's time on the wheel. Rocky training for his fights is another plot element that lends itself well to a montage.

But it _is_ overused, and it's a crutch. Much like dramatic scenes ending after a character's impassioned speech or pronouncement...instead of lingering and really seeing how the characters handle intense moments, most shows and movies cop out.
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post #16 of 24
2/29/08 at 2:06pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Kilduff
On a different tack, what do you make of the YouTube videos where users take clips from their favorite movies and make montages of their own? Do you think they're well-done or do they also earn your jokes?
Oh I hate them. I truly do. Mostly because they are always getting in the way of my searches. I am typically looking for favorite unaltered scenes and it's annoying to have to sift through a bunch of montages and "music videos" to find what I need. Otherwise they are neat when well made. The problem is that not a great many are.

--
H
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post #17 of 24
2/29/08 at 2:20pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Montages in movies and awards show for starters is a huge, huge difference, to lump them together makes no sense.

Montage in film is an art form that can really elevate a film as a storytelling tool. Rocky is an obvious example, but I would point to Batman Begins also, the scene where he's training with Rhas Al Ghul which ends with him on the ice ... is epic.

Montage in award shows ... which again is a completely different thing ... I don't mind as long as it isn't overkill.
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post #18 of 24
3/3/08 at 2:38pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Aware that I talk about the benefits of film fans not being simply passive and doing things like youtube videos, but never having done one - I gave it a whirl. No fancy edits or cuts just some Grace Kelly scenes to music.

Fun stuff. Although doing the video captures takes longer than I thought. That and trying to get some Dial M For Murder stuff in there that just didn't work out.

link:

YouTube - Grace Kelly - The Shadow of Your Smile
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post #19 of 24
3/4/08 at 5:26am

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete-D
...I would point to Batman Begins also, the scene where he's training with Rhas Al Ghul which ends with him on the ice ... is epic.

Good point. Montages can add to a film, if well done and if compressing the depicted scenes/action into a montage makes sense. Too often, though, it's a lazy device to cover clichés and poor writing.
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post #20 of 24
3/4/08 at 7:24am

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

And of course there is always the modest breakfast bit in Citizen Kane—not exactly covering for Wells’ inability to write or direct.
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post #21 of 24
3/5/08 at 2:22pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

I actually love montages in general. My favorites would have to be those montage episodes of Seinfeld - those are always hysterical.
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post #22 of 24
3/7/08 at 9:21pm

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

I find them annoyingly irritant ... I just don't see no point in them. It's like the producers couldn't find anything original to fill that spot to they fill out that time with montages ...
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post #23 of 24
3/8/08 at 1:34am

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

When I think of montages, I think of '80s movies. And, the two examples I can think of right now work for me.

Karate Kid has several. Daniel training. Daniel dating Ali.

Summer School has one or two, I believe, showing the kids buckling down and studying and then taking the test.

Both seem like legitimate uses of the montage to me. I can't think of an example right now, but there are movies that have montage after montage, and that is when it becomes bad filmmaking. I have an example on the tip of my mind, but I can't think of it right now.
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post #24 of 24
3/8/08 at 6:53am

Re: Why do people get annoyed with montages?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Talmadge
I find them annoyingly irritant ... I just don't see no point in them. It's like the producers couldn't find anything original to fill that spot to they fill out that time with montages ...

What's original? Serve up one one (1) example ... a filmmaking moment in the last 10 years that you believe is original.
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