What Is A Movie Montage?

A montage is a technique of film storytelling and editing that pieces together a series of short clips into a sequence that illustrates a long period of time passing and conveys how much action or change occurred during that time. Montages are designed to be quite informative, but creative spins on montages can also help them produce comedic relief, spark inspirational feelings of perseverance by taking viewers on a character’s journey of physical and mental transformation, and even bring viewers to tears through a highly emotional summary of the highs and lows that characters experience.

Below are some examples of the many different ways that montages are used creatively in film.

In the 2004 comedy horror Shaun of the Dead, montages are used to quickly and lightheartedly cover mundane, everyday tasks and create build-ups to action sequences:

“Shaun of the Dead – Quick Cuts” by notarealthingzero

In a much less subtle fashion than Shaun of the Dead, Dumb and Dumber (1994) uses the idea of movie makeovers to create a hilarious spin on montages:

“Makeover Montage – Dumb and Dumber” by WBMoviesOnline

The sports drama film series Rocky popularized the idea of sports training montages in its first Rocky movie released in 1976. Each film in the series featured a training montage, and in the 1985 Rocky IV movie (partially filmed in Las Vegas, NV), nearly a third of the film consists of montages!

Watch the original Rocky montage below:

“Rocky I Training Montage HD” by Goku1908

In our last example, this emotionally charged movie montage by Pixar in Up (2009) highlights the beautiful relationship of a couple over the course of many decades in less than five minutes:

“Favorite Pixar’s Up scene ever – Ellie and Carl’s relationship through time, Sad scene” by xXJEashXx

Movie montage is a great film technique to adapt and use in many creative ways, allowing you to take your viewers on a journey through time, space, and transformation. If you are looking for post-production editors to help you create a montage for your next production, check out our online Nevada Production Directory to find experienced Nevada production crew and support services or drop by our office and pick up a free printed directory!

If you offer production and film-related services in Nevada and are not yet listed in our Production Directory, you can learn more about how to sign up for the NPD here.

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