| Situation | What the format or convention does | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| You need to cover a long stretch of story time quickly | A montage condenses the passage of a long span of time into a much shorter span. | Choose it when the audience needs to feel time pass but gains nothing from watching every step in full. |
| All beats happen in one place | The montage opens with a header, either MONTAGE alone or MONTAGE with a specific descriptor. | Use the header to tell the reader what kind of scene follows, then list the beats beneath it. |
| Beats jump between places | Each visual or moment is written as a short scene with its own slugline and a brief description. | Give every beat its own slugline so locations are clear to the reader. |
| You are unsure how to lay it out | There are no hard and fast rules; montages often look like a bulleted or occasionally numbered list. | Pick the simplest layout that reads clearly and keep it consistent within the sequence. |
| You want to use it to deliver information fast | A montage is not meant to be used as a cheat. | Keep it for moments that pay off later in the story, not for dumping facts. |
These conventions come from the Writers Guild Foundation and Final Draft.
Here is how to write a montage in a screenplay: open with a MONTAGE header or a run of short sluglines, keep each beat brief, and go light on dialogue. Which layout fits depends on how many locations the beats cover.
For the wider picture behind the page, including how is an independent film made, start with the Film & TV production hub. The sections below cover when a montage is worth writing, the layouts for each case, and the beat-level choices that make one work.
When a montage earns its place
A montage is a compilation of short scenes or moments, usually with little to no dialogue, according to Final Draft. The Writers Guild Foundation says its usual job is to condense the passage of a long span of time into a much shorter span. That job is the test for whether your story needs one. If the audience must feel a stretch of time go by but gains nothing from watching each step in full, a montage saves pages. If every step carries a decision or a turn, write scenes instead.
Choosing a montage has consequences for the script around it:
- It has to pay off. Story and Plot notes that the montage has consequences and the real payoff will be later. Check that the scene after it shows what changed.
- It is not a shortcut. Final Draft says it is not meant to be used as a cheat by any means. If you are reaching for a montage because a scene is hard to dramatize, that is a sign to rework the scene.
- It rewards specific images. The Writers Guild Foundation describes montage as often a place to be creative and express a unique voice, so the extra care goes into choosing vivid, concrete moments.
Once you have decided a montage fits, the next decision is how to lay it out on the page.
Montage types and how to format each
Montage layout follows one practical question: do the beats share a location? The Writers Guild Foundation says there are no hard and fast rules for formatting a montage, so these are conventions rather than requirements. Final Draft’s advice is to keep the format as simple as possible.
Single-location montage
When every beat happens in one place, the montage opens with a header that tells the reader what type of scene this is, per Final Draft. The header can be the bare word MONTAGE or carry a specific descriptor. The beats sit beneath it as brief lines, which is why montages often look like a bulleted or occasionally numbered list, as the Writers Guild Foundation observes.
Copyable example
INT. COMMUNITY GYM – DAY
MONTAGE – MAYA TRAINS
– Maya wraps her hands, jaw set.
– She misses the jump, resets, tries again.
– Chalk marks tally each session on the wall.
– Her coach stops correcting and starts nodding.
Multi-location montage
When beats jump between places, the Quote/Unquote guide recommends a MONTAGE – VARIOUS header, which signals that the sequence will jump between locations. Each beat then gets a mini slug line such as INT. GYM or EXT. PARK. Final Draft describes the same approach as a series of short scenes, each with a slugline and a brief description.
Copyable example
MONTAGE – VARIOUS
INT. GYM
Maya hammers the heavy bag, shoulders shaking.
EXT. PARK
She sprints past joggers, breath fogging.
INT. KITCHEN
She eats standing up, eyes on a taped-up schedule.
A lighter option comes from John August: skip the word MONTAGE and just let it be a series of short scenes, each a slugline with a sentence or two of description. That works well when the sequence reads clearly without a label.
Copyable example
INT. GYM – DAY
Maya hammers the heavy bag, shoulders shaking.
EXT. PARK – DAY
She sprints past joggers, breath fogging.
Several spaces inside one larger location
If all the beats sit within one larger location, John August says the most economical choice may be to change the slugline rather than write one for every beat. A slugline such as VARIOUS ROOMS covers the whole run.
Copyable example
INT. MAYA’S HOUSE – VARIOUS ROOMS
Maya tapes notes to the fridge. She stretches on the living room floor. A pile of unopened mail grows by the door.
Series of scenes
The Quote/Unquote guide separates a montage from a series of scenes. A series of scenes is similar in structure but typically involves more specific action in each beat, often with dialogue. If your beats need that much detail, you are writing a series of scenes, and you can format it as ordinary scenes.
Ending the montage
Final Draft offers two ways to close. When the next scene heading sets a new location, it is implied that the montage is over. When no new location follows, communicate the end by writing a header in caps, such as END MONTAGE. Story and Plot agrees that the closing header is proper but usually unnecessary, because the next action shows the montage has ended. Add it only when a reader could otherwise be unsure where the sequence stops.
Copyable example
– Maya laces her shoes for the last time.
END MONTAGE
EXT. TRACK – DAY
Maya stands at the starting line, steady.
Formatting choices and pitfalls
The right layout is the one that makes the sequence easiest to read. John August’s rule is to pick the simplest version that gets the point across, and he notes that the format can vary from sequence to sequence within the same script. That freedom helps, but it comes with trade-offs.
- Use a list when beats are tiny. Single-image beats with no location changes read cleanly as bullets under one header. The reader takes in the rhythm at a glance.
- Use sluglines when place matters. If the audience should register different locations, mini slug lines or full short scenes make that explicit for both reader and production.
- Stay consistent within a sequence. Switching between bullets, sluglines and a header mid-montage makes the page harder to follow. Changing styles between separate montages is fine.
- Drop the label when it adds nothing. Story and Plot advises against using the word montage unless it is for a specific purpose. It also relays Riley’s view that several of the styles above would be acceptable.
Montages that hop through many locations also affect the art department, and a guide on what does a production designer do is a useful companion when you are deciding how many distinct settings a sequence really needs. Fewer, better-chosen settings keep the page simple and the sequence clear.
Writing the beats
The Quote/Unquote guide describes a montage as compressing time through a sequence of short, often wordless moments linked by theme. That description is a practical brief for each line you write. A beat should be a single glanceable moment, and the beats together should point the same way.
Decide the emotional register before you write the first beat. Story and Plot puts it plainly: you need to decide how the characters and the audience feel about what the montage shows. A montage of the same activity can read as triumphant, exhausting or ironic depending on which moments you pick and how you order them.
Keep the language as lean as the format. The Writers Guild Foundation’s advice is to keep it brief and simple, and that applies to description as much as layout. If you are weighing other cinematic devices for the same story, How The Dolly Zoom Creates Cinematic Tension: A Practical 2026 Guide covers a camera effect that builds tension rather than compressing time.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a montage be?
Most montages run one or fewer pages, according to the Quote/Unquote guide. If a sequence keeps growing past that, check whether it has become a series of scenes.
Is a montage just a transition?
No. Story and Plot says a montage is not the same as a transition. It has to serve the larger story, and its consequences show up later.
Can a montage include dialogue?
It can, but dialogue tends to slow montages down and undercut their momentum, per the Quote/Unquote guide. If a beat needs spoken exchange, consider writing it as a full scene instead.
