Script

Montage

Also called Series of shots

What is montage in film production?

A montage, in a screenplay, is a sequence of short images or moments that compresses time or shows a process, written under a single MONTAGE heading with each moment as a brief line. It tells the reader that these beats play quickly, usually over music, rather than as full scenes.

A related format, SERIES OF SHOTS, is used when the moments happen in one continuous stretch or location; a montage can jump across time and place.

Each line should be a picture the reader can see. A montage of abstract summaries ("they fall in love") gives the director nothing to shoot.

Reviewed 2026-10-09

Related terms

Dual dialogue

Dual dialogue is a screenplay format for two characters speaking at the same time, printed as two dialogue blocks side by side on the page. It is used sparingly, for overlapping lines or arguments, because it is harder to read than alternating dialogue.

Scene heading

A scene heading is the capitalised line that opens every scene in a screenplay, stating whether the scene is interior or exterior, where it takes place, and whether it is day or night — for example, INT. EDIT SUITE - NIGHT. It is the line scheduling software parses to build a breakdown.