Montage

Final Draft style:

Shot for the heading ("MONTAGE").

Action for the shots and the "END MONTAGE" tag.

A MONTAGE is used to describe a sequence of short shots or scenes.

It is often used to depict key events in a passage of time, or to provide a compressed story background. It may also be used to communicate a theme. It often leads to a conclusion and may have its own begining-middle-end structure.

If the montage is within a scene, add END OF MONTAGE or BACK TO SCENE at the end to make it clear the montage is over and the scene is resuming.

If the montage is formatted as a Scene Heading, i.e. it is not inserted within a scene but between two scenes, it isn't necessary to specify END OF MONTAGE since the next scene heading will make it clear the montage is over.

Montage shots

The shots within the montage can be formatted in a number of different ways:

MONTAGE

-- Katerina looks out over the city through binoculars.

-- Katerina exits from a restaurant.

-- Katerina sits alone on a bench.

END MONTAGE

...or...

MONTAGE

A) Katerina looks out over the city through binoculars.

B) Katerina exits from a restaurant.

C) Katerina sits alone on a bench.

END MONTAGE

Montage with location information

Location information can be emphasized in the montage in the following way:

MONTAGE - KATERINA EXPLORES THE CITY

-- EXT. MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT - DAY -- Katerina looks out over the city through binoculars...

-- EXT. SAINT-LAURENT STREET - DAY -- Katerina exits from a restaurant...

-- INT. METRO STATION - NIGHT -- Katerina sits alone on a bench...

END MONTAGE

Montage with V.O.

When a montage includes a voice-over, here is an unofficial suggestion for how to handle it.

MONTAGE - KATERINA EXPLORES THE CITY

-- EXT. MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT - DAY -- Katerina looks out over the city through binoculars...

NARRATOR (V.O.)

So much to see!

-- EXT. SAINT-LAURENT STREET - DAY -- Katerina exits from a restaurant...

NARRATOR (V.O.)

So much to eat!

-- INT. METRO STATION - NIGHT -- Katerina sits alone on a bench...

END MONTAGE

Also see SERIES OF SHOTS.

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Master Scene Screenwriting Guide