montaggio

Montaggio is an Italian term that denotes the process of assembling elements into a coherent whole. It is used across several fields, most prominently in film and video editing, but also in manufacturing, stage production, and the photographic arts. The word comes from montare, to mount or put together.

In film and video, montaggio refers to editing: selecting shots, arranging them in sequence, and controlling duration and transitions to create narrative structure, rhythm, and meaning. Editors shape the viewer's perception by pacing, continuity, and the balance of audiovisual elements. The practice includes various approaches, from seamless continuity editing to more expressive montage, where the juxtaposition of shots conveys ideas, emotion, or commentary. In cinema studies, montage theory examines how editing can generate meaning beyond the content of individual shots, with influential analyses associated with Soviet filmmakers who explored metric, rhythmic, tonal, and intellectual montage.

In other domains, montaggio can mean the physical assembly of hardware or components on a project or production line, as well as the mounting of props and scenery in theater. In photography and multimedia art, montaggio may refer to the combination or collage of images to produce a unified artwork or montage sequence.

Overall, montaggio denotes a core concept of assembly and arrangement, whether in the construction of a physical object, a stage or film production, or a multimedia artwork. The word's precise meaning depends on the context, but the central idea remains the assembly and ordering of parts to achieve a coherent whole.