Montage

Format

Definition: A montage is a sequence of brief scenes or images, usually without dialogue, that compresses time or shows parallel actions. In screenplay format, montages are introduced with a heading like MONTAGE or SERIES OF SHOTS, followed by lettered or dashed items describing each shot. They end with END MONTAGE or a new scene heading.

Understanding Montage

Montages solve a specific storytelling problem: how do you show that something took weeks, months, or involved many steps without writing thirty scenes? A training montage compresses preparation. A falling-in-love montage compresses courtship. A building-the-thing montage compresses labor. The danger is that montages often become a crutch — a way to skip the hard work of dramatizing change. The best montages have their own arc. Each shot escalates or shifts, and the final image in the montage reveals something different from the first. Formatting varies — some writers use A), B), C), others use dashes, others just write short paragraphs under the MONTAGE heading. Consistency is what matters.

Example in a Screenplay

MONTAGE - SARAH PREPARES FOR THE TRIAL

-- Sarah at her kitchen table, drowning in depositions.

-- She rehearses her opening in front of a bathroom mirror.

-- She falls asleep at the table, face in her notes.

-- Dawn. She jolts awake, coffee-stained but clear-eyed.

END MONTAGE

Common Mistakes

Using montages to avoid writing actual scenes where the drama happens. Making every shot the same emotional register — a good montage escalates. Writing a montage that runs two pages — at that point, just write the scenes. Forgetting END MONTAGE, leaving the reader unsure when the montage ends. Overusing montages so the script feels like a highlight reel.