MONTAGES
IT’S A TECHNIQUE TO COMPRESS TIME.
Almost all screenplays use this technique. A montage is an easy, convenient way to quickly summarize a lot of events in a short period of screen time. It’s especially effective in showing a character’s transition from one situation in the story to another. Common examples are falling in love or gaining the necessary skills to defeat a villain.
Again, the caution here is to keep these sequences to a bare minimum. Too many montages will slow
the pacing of a film or make the film feel episodic. The exception to the rule is to use this technique as
a storytelling device so that it provides a sense of segmentation to the story for the audience. Sagas and
epics such as The Ten Commandments and Dances with Wolves effectively used montage sequences
in this way. The use of music also enhances the montage . . . an important factor when you consider
many film studios, these days, are also in the music publishing business. The film Rocky uses this
combination of music and montages most effectively.
