The Great Syntagmatics of Film by Christian Metz interprets the feature film as reducible to autonomous segments, that are separated into autonomous shots and syntagmas, whereby the latter can be separated into non-chronological syntagmas (sequence of parallel montage) and chronological syntagmas. Within these is again differentiation between descriptive and narrative syntagmas, whereby the narrative syntagmas are divided into alternating syntagmas and linear narrative syntagmas (the linear narrative syntagmas are thereby divorced in scene and sequence). The shot-countershot-technique is a typical linear narrative syntagma (Peter Tscherkassky).
“Shot - Countershot – the idea of the century.”
Hans Fraeulin1
“Not a stage direction, but rather something very concrete is hidden behind the technical term. Something which betrays a little of the yearning for intelligent and playful dealings with the medium of short film.”
Marli Feldvoss2
- 1Hans Fraeulin, http://www.tscherkassky.at.
- 2Marli Feldvoss, http://www.tscherkassky.at.