Scrubs-esque Montage writing

Just like you would any other scene. You'd write the action you wanted then write the voice over in approx where you want it to be said and, obviously you'd place a tag for voice over after the dialouge (V.O.).

So like (This is completely off the top of my head and totally nonsensical).

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
YOUNG STUDENT go about taking a scantron test. Thier heads down in heavy concenration. They scribble, erase, and CHEW their pencils.
The TEACHER reclines back in her chair at her desk and looks at her students

TEACHER (V.O.)
All my students showed up for the test today, perfect.

INT. TEACHER'S BASEMENT - NIGHT
The teacher paints a clear liquid on a stack of scantron tests. She cackles devilishly.

TEACHER (V.O.)
Now every one of those little bastards is going to pay.

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
One of the kids chewing on his pencil keels over and falls stone cold dead. Like dominos the other students fall too. The classroom is left completely quiet, not a living soul in it except the teacher who sits at her desk looking calm and comfortable.

TEACHER (V.O.)
Posion tests. Brilliant. Those little *******s wouldnt be smart enough to appreciate the poetry of this moment even if they werent all dead.

The teacher laughs.

That's how I do it. I could be very wrong though.

Yes, you are wrong.

You've written a standard action scene.

A Montage is a series of short scenes that show a solid progression of time.

If you had taken one or two of the students and shown them doing ALL of those actions and progressing forward with the test and THEN keeling over it would have been a montage.

But the kind of scene you wrote doesn't need a montage at all.

You use a montage when you've got lots of actions and events to cover and not much time to do it in.

Go this post http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24802

and find #11 for an example of two montages.

Well true it isnt a montage at all, but I also think the question wasnt about montages moreso a series of scenes in which actions are performed but the only dialouge is supplied by a voiceover of another character, who is giving insight into the actions and who may or may not be on camera for these scenes.

I've only seen scrubs a few times, but it seems like this is what he was talking about, not a montage. So I choose to just go about and explain what I thought he was really asking regardless of whether it was in fact a montage.

Though since I've only seen scrubs once or twice he could actually be refering to a montage as you have explained. In which case, you should disregard what I have previously written

Scrubs transcripts can be found here, if you haven't already seen them:

http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/scrubs/

Unfortunately they're a tad non-standard, but the jumps to J.D.'s little fantasies are clearly indicated, e.g.

J.D.'s Thoughts: Still, there are some traditions I enjoy. Like Nurse Tisdale's 9:15 cup-a coffee.

*** Fantasy Shot: Nurse Tisdale in a bikini.

...which I think is maybe all you have to aim for -- clarity, so the reader understands it's one of those J.D. moments.

-Derek
-> * <- Click on this magic star to be transported to my website. Ruby slippers optional.
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The practice of art isn't to make a living. It's to make your soul grow. ~The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing (Kurt Vonnegut)

Not meaning to sound

too gruff there Mead.

Just a montage is a very specific screenwriting term and I didn't want any one being confused, including you about it.

Your scene is all right the way you wrote it, but it isn't a montage. You gave me the opening to correct you when you said you could be wrong.

The easiest way of writing a montage is to simply say it's a montage within the script.
The first draft could perhaps be short sentences seperated by semi-colons, preceded by cut to a 'montage of'.

But not forgetting that the montage will more or less be a scene in its own right, and as such when it comes to writing the shooting script, changes will be required which will establish each shot of your montage with (a) (b) (c), etc. Better to do it this way so that there is little chance of confusion with scene numbers, which will also be in the shooting script.

Also, it isn't necessarily a progression of time. A montage could depict different kids in a playground at school break, and we focus on individual groups involved in different games - all happening simultaneously.

Oh that's fine scripter. I'm glad you didnt let anyone reading this thread or the orginal poster to be consufed with how a true-to-the-defintion montage should be handled. I should have orginally posted that what I was intending to describe was not really a montage.