Montage originates from the French verb “monter,” which means “to assemble” or “to edit.” As film processes and techniques grew, “montage” quickly became the term widely used to describe the film editing process.

In filmmaking, it’s vital to keep things moving at a fast clip. A movie’s pace can make or break its success. Montage is easily the most efficient way to showcase elements that would normally take a lot of time to develop in an abbreviated amount of screentime. The ROCKY series is renowned for this with its inspiring training montages. These iconic training sequences focus not only on character, but emotion and story as well.

Set to the appropriate music and edited accordingly, montages can be executed to achieve great humor even as they’re driving the story forward. An example of this is the montage in 21 JUMP STREET, which can be found here. The sequence is humorous, yet it also manages to advance the narrative into the next act. For a meta-joke on both the idea of montage as comedy and the article you’re currently reading, watch TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE’s take on the montage.

Characters grow and change over time.  As stated, in filmmaking, you always want to keep an eye on the most time-efficient means to express an idea; telling stories tightly should be a constant goal. The narrative and characters need to be constantly moving and a montage is a terrific way to build momentum.

The film WHIPLASH expertly uses montage to showcase how its lead character, obsessed with becoming a drummer in a merciless music conservatory, exhausts himself until having a nervous breakdown as he fervently strives to perfect his craft.

The sequence does more to push character and emotion than it does to tell story, but the effect is harrowing and more importantly, serves the film exactly as it should; the movie is ultimately a character piece and this montage leans heavily into that notion. Watch it here.

The LORD OF THE RINGS films use montage to bring together separate story threads and characters on multiple occasions. In addition to economically moving the story along, the films use montage to show how different characters are affected by the same larger-scale events.

In these films, with so many different characters and locations, the device helps to ground the audience and give them a sense of the stories’ many bearings. In this instance, the montage acts less as an emotional tool and serves as more of a storytelling aid.

When done properly, themes and motifs can be articulated through an effective montage. One of the most famous (if not the most famous) examples of this is the baptism sequence towards the end of the first GODFATHER film. In the movie’s climax, Michael Corleone acts as godfather to his sister’s baby at the child’s baptism.

This is juxtaposed with a series of killings he had ordered to be carried out, thus cementing him as the film’s godfather. The stark contrast of the murders with the celebration of new life is the perfect way of using an assembly of visuals and music to drive a thematic point home.

The entire film, one of the greatest of all time, is encapsulated within this montage. The entire sequence can be seen here.

Now that we have an understanding of the why behind the montage, let’s explore the how. Because while montages can be used for unique purposes and conveying a range of differing information, it’s easy to get lost in the editing bay. There is so much footage to choose from and even more auditory options. Here are some key fundamentals to keep in mind as you’re building a montage…

Regardless of its length, a montage is always meant to serve a narrative purpose (even if that purpose is solely character-driven). Ideally, you want to start a character (or characters) off in a different place than where the montage will end. The strength of visuals is crucial here.

Instead of dialogue, use images to show characters and elements growing and changing. The opening sequences in 2004’s DAWN OF THE DEAD, which can be found here and 2009’s DISTRICT 9 (look at this clip to see that one) both do incredible jobs at marrying audio and visual to convey expository information in very compelling ways. From the jump, they manage to grab their audiences emotionally while still clearly expressing crucial story elements.

The phrase “a picture paints a thousand words” exemplifies this. Oftentimes, more can be stated (thematically, narratively and emotionally) with a single, powerful shot (or a series of shots) than an entire page of dialogue. It helps to think of the montage as a journey, taking the audience on a clearly defined (shortened) path from beginning to end.

The montage at the beginning of UP manages to tell an entire love story between two characters without a single word of spoken dialogue (watch it here). Originally the sequence had dialogue, but the filmmakers soon realized that letting the visuals and music exclusively tell the story actually made for a more effective opening¹.

The idea here is a focus on shot framing and aesthetics. There are two ways to approach this step.

The first involves using the objects in frame to mirror the movements in the next shot (what’s known as a match cut). The other is matching camera movements of sequentially edited images.

Either way, working with synchronized movements can create a striking tempo to a sequence that not only serves your storytelling needs but also adds an element of stylistic flair to the work.

The majority of montages use music, often choosing a song that complements (or in some cases, directly opposes) the narrative from a lyrical standpoint. Equally important to resonating lyrics is finding a song or piece of music with flow and overall energy to match the tone of the visual sequence.

Lyrics can often provide meaning that otherwise would be muddled. Cutting on the beats can often add a propulsive energy to the montage and bring true life to the sequence.

There are differing schools of thought on when (and if) to use narration in montages. Narration is sometimes thought of as lazy and something of a shortcut in moviemaking, but in truth, it’s a filmmaker’s job to convey their message effectively, using whatever tools necessary.

Martin Scorcese uses narration in his masterpiece GOODFELLAS several times (here’s just one example from that film), and the results are nothing short of brilliant. As an artist, trust your instincts to use the proper devices to tell your story.

Films like GROUNDHOG DAY and EDGE OF TOMORROW revolve around characters who (spoiler alert!) die repeatedly, only to come back to life and repeat the experience.

Rather than taking the audience through the same sequence over and over, the montages in those films cut right to the important parts, stringing them together, giving the audience a repetition that manages to be both entertaining and propel the story forward. Click here for GROUNDHOG DAY’s montage and here for the sequence in EDGE OF TOMORROW.

In addition to the information its conveying, a montage’s duration is another key to its success. There is no absolute standard for how long or short a montage should be. Each montage needs to effectively communicate the narrative and emotional points necessary without pressing the point to redundancy.

How quickly or slowly this is accomplished is entirely reliant the filmmaker’s vision. Testing the montage amongst peers is often a great barometer to see if your sequence is too lengthy or too brief.  An outsider’s perspective can often prove to be extraordinary helpful when it comes to filmmaking (particularly during the editing process).

Let’s take a closer look at these ideas…

One of the best uses of the montage is condensing time while quickly delivering a considerable amount of information to the audience.

Montages often affect the pacing of a movie, as they can sustain momentum, build energy and create their own rhythmic flow.

Montages have also been used to move sequences along from one to another, bridging narrative or emotional beats that would have otherwise been absent.

Whether it be a skill acquisition, emotional journey, or physical transformation, montages can be utilized to convey significant changes in a character’s life or personality in an effective and speedy manner.

While not always necessary in filmmaking, a montage can be a vital device when it comes to efficiently expressing certain aspects of narrative, character or emotion. A montage will also add momentum, which can often clean up pacing issues and affect a film’s overall feel.