Montage od Scenes

[WritingFool]

wondering if anyone knows if there is any unwritten or even written rules of scene montages.

Can you have more than one in a movie?

Any help from the knowledgeable is great appreciated.

[Joe Calabrese]

wondering if anyone knows if there is any unwritten or even written rules of scene montages. Can you have more than one in a movie? Usually you only see a few montages in a script that warrants such action that takes place over time (romantic dates, fixing a problem, getting to a location, building something, etc). I also, wouldn't have a montage more than 1/2 page long with a 1/4 to a 1/3 a page better.


MONTAGE and SERIES OF SHOTS

These are also often thought to be the same thing, which is not the case. The difference being that MONTAGE incorporates much more on the screen. It is used to show a series of events, such as:

MONTAGE

A) Hitler enthusiastically making a speech at a rally

B) Chamberlain arriving from Berlin - "Peace for our time"

C) German troops invading Poland



SERIES OF SHOTS are mini-scenes making up a sequence:

SERIES OF SHOTS

A) William jumps out of the car.

B) He tumbles down an embankment.

C) The car goes out of control, hits a tree and EXPLODES.

D) William leans on a rock as he slowly gets up, watching the smoke rising from the burning car.

As for lettering them, some people do and others just use an - before the event. I use the - .

The key point with a montage is to indicate location, time and action without the use of a slugline for each event.

At the end of Montage or Series of Shots, you can either put a new slugline for the next scene or add a END OF MONTAGE - , or END OF SERIES - before the next scene, but I find that it is not necessary.

[WritingFool]

Big Help, thanks Joe.

I recently had to add a third one, and I feel Im pushing it.

Trying to do everything I can to trim this puppy down.

[Mac H.]

According to one critique, one of my scripts had 'areas of the script devoted to needless montages'.

I only(!) had 3 montages - one for building something over a long period of time, another for the hero fruitlessly trying endless possibilities to try and trap the killer, and another 'flashback' one at the end where all the clues to the truth were revealed.

Those 3 were to many. If/When I re-write that particular puppy I'll probably just stick to the 'flashback' one at the end.

Mac