“We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world.” Evey
A righteous idea is remembered, and its power can alter the course of history. Take Martin Luther King for example; His activism united and inspired so many, and meant that the world was able to change for the better.
V, a freedom fighter and the protagonist in V for Vendetta, emulates the qualities of the brave and inspired who have come before him.
Director James McTeigue utilises cinematography techniques like montage and soundtrack to engage the audience, and remind the viewer that ideas have power.
The use of montage is effective as it allows the viewer to take in many shots in a short amount of time. In this way McTeigue can flood the viewer with information, creating an emotional response.
Soundtrack, mainly music and dialogue, is used to enhance the shots being shown, creating excitement, suspense and providing information. 
The combination of these cinematography techniques ensnare the viewer and allow McTeigue to convey that ideas can change the world.

The domino scene, towards the end of the film captures the power of an idea. Here all of the events that V has stimulated come together in a ‘perfect pattern’. As the scene opens, drums begin, beating slowly like a marching band. This gives the feeling that something big is going to happen, and the viewer is held in suspense.
The first shot is of V setting down a domino, as he begins constructing his pattern. The dominoes are used as a metaphor, making it clear that V has brought the events of the scene to fruition in the same way that he is setting up his pattern.
Montage is used to move fluidly between settings, showing V assembling his dominoes as past, present and future events are shown. This establishes a relationship between the shots, illustrating that everything is connected.
McTeigue is able to show V’s plan coming together, which emphasises his determination, making the viewer respect what he is fighting for and want him to succeed. 
The scene cuts to two policemen talking in their office. One of them had been to Larkill, a resettlement camp, and on his visit he was able to see the link between the tragic events of the film, bringing the fatal actions of the Norsefire Party to light. He commented “It was like a perfect pattern laid out in front of me, and I realised we were all part of it, and all trapped by it”. This line of dialogue is supported by various shots flicking across the screen. We see Valerie being taken away by fingermen for her sexuality and Gordon captured for having a voice. These brutal kidnappings make the viewer panicked and sad for the characters. It is similar to the persecution and fear that homosexual and non binary people face in some places today.
The camera then cuts quickly between many people, a family in their home, a pub, a rest home, V, Evey. This shows how everyone is trapped by the need for freedom. In a way we are all trapped, by the knowledge that we need to do the right thing, the compulsion to stand up for ourselves and the desire to look after one another. Being trapped in this way is synonymous with having honour.
The cuts between shots become quicker to add suspense and excitement. A news reporter announces “rioters arrested in Bristol” and V flicks over his dominoes. Old footage of people fighting is shown. The clips are deliberately sepia toned to illustrate how it is old; from a time when people were also fighting for their freedom. McTeigue used this footage to show the viewer that in the past people have come together for a common goal, and it can happen again. The March on Washington in 1963, The Stonewall Riots in 1969 and the Black Lives Matter Protests in 2020. The protesting makes the viewer feel powerful, and inspired. All of these people were trapped, fighting for their freedom.
The scene flashes quickly from the falling dominoes to the rioting, and the screams of the fighters sound like the rush of the cascading dominoes. Here the montage and soundtrack blend, the falling dominoes and the peoples screams, illustrating how the dominoes represent the events unfolding. Once given momentum by V and his idea, the people, like the dominoes, gather speed. By using montage and an effective soundtrack McTeigue is able to place the viewer in the scene, giving them the powerful feeling of being united under one idea. 

McTeigue uses soundtrack and montage in the second scene as well to communicate the power of an idea. Initially Sutler, the High Commissioner and leader of the fascist Norsefire Party is shown on a jumbotron in the city and on tv’s in peoples homes. As the different shots of the announcement are shown – in houses and in the street – McTeigue is able to illustrate how Sutler’s propaganda is widely distributed to brainwash his people. There are many connections between Sutler and Hitler, and the forceful propaganda is one of them. This relationship further endears the viewer to V’s bid for freedom, as society has suffered under a totalitarian government before (and continues to in places). This makes V for Vendetta more lifelike, and means that we are hopeful V can succeed in overthrowing the government.
Sutler is giving a passionate speech about how V must be stopped  “Justice will be swift, it will be righteous and it will be without mercy” This line of dialogue is ironic because moments later Sutler is killed by V, thus paying for his crimes.
The scene cuts to V, Creedy (leader of Norsefires secret police) and the Fingermen meeting in a tunnel. This draws a parallel to a scene in the beginning of the film where Guy Fawkes was attempting to blow up the Houses of Parliament. This link is important, because the men are both anarchists. It makes the viewer reconsider Guy Fawkes’ motivation, and reflect on the idea of freedom fighter vs terrorist.
A fight ensues, where the Fingermen shoot at V, but he kills them using his swords. The swishing of the blades is enhanced to make the viewer realise that, fuelled by his idea V is so powerful that his swords can beat guns.
When Creedy’s men have all been killed, he tries to finish V off by shooting him. He screams “Why won’t you die” to which V replies “ beneath this mask Mr Creedy there is more than flesh: there is an idea; and ideas are bulletproof” This quote sums up one of the main messages of the film. Ideas are powerful, so powerful that they can not be extinguished by the death of one man. They live on through all of the people that they inspire.
As this line is delivered the viewer is made to feel a swell of pride and hope. V is representing all of the brave people that have come before him – Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai, Alice Paul – and all that will come after. Ideas can change the world, as they can be shared and taken on by others.
In the beginning of V for Vendetta Evey comments on the mortality of flesh, but the longevity of inspiration: “four hundred years later an idea can still change the world”
At the end of the scene, after V has killed Creedy, he is shown behind the tunnel grate, making it look like he is behind bars. This illustrates how his desire for freedom has trapped him, sealing his fate. 
Like other dystopian works of literature, V for Vendetta aims to teach the viewer a lesson. Similarly to The Handmaids Tale and Brave New World, V for Vendetta portrays a society that has complacently let their government take their freedom. V’s immense determination to overthrow the totalitarian government seems extreme and alarming, but it is a devise to illustrate how bad things have become. In this way McTeigue is able to remind the viewer not only of the power of an idea, but also of the danger of complacency.

V for Vendetta is a film that pays homage to all of the revolutionists. A common theme between him and the other great activists throughout history is their willingness to sacrifice much for their pursuit of freedom. V gave up most of his life for his ‘idea’, and when he died his aim lived on, as he inspired the people. McTeigue uses the highly effective storytelling devices of montage and soundtrack to truly engage the audience and invest them in V’s journey.
In this way, like other dystopian texts, V for Vendetta leaves the viewer a better person than they were before. The film is a reminder of the unity and strength that comes through a shared purpose.