In simple terms
Montage, in filmmaking, is the technique of assembling a sequence of distinct shots, through editing, to condense time, build an idea, or create meaning that no single shot could carry on its own. [1]
How it works
A montage sequence typically compresses events that would take far longer in real time into a short span of screen time, such as a character’s training progress shown across a few shots instead of the weeks it actually took. [1] The effect relies on the viewer’s mind connecting the shots together: early Soviet filmmakers argued that placing two unrelated shots next to each other creates a new idea in the viewer’s mind that neither shot contains by itself, a principle often called Soviet montage theory. [2]
Montage can serve very different purposes depending on the film: it can compress time, as in a training or travel sequence, build emotional or thematic contrast by cutting between unrelated images, or establish a rhythm through the pace and length of each cut. [2]
Why it matters
Montage is one of the techniques most specific to film as a medium, since it depends on the ability to cut between separate pieces of footage in ways a stage play or a single photograph cannot. [1] How a filmmaker chooses to cut footage together shapes meaning as powerfully as the footage itself.
Where you’ll see it
- Training or preparation sequences in sports and action films
- Time-lapse style sequences showing a relationship or a season passing
- Political and propaganda films using juxtaposed imagery for effect
- Music videos, which are often built almost entirely from montage editing
Example
A boxing film might show a character’s months of training in under two minutes, cutting between brief shots of running, sparring, and lifting weights set to music.
Often confused with
A long take, or continuous shot, is the opposite approach, unfolding an entire scene without cutting away at all; montage builds meaning through the relationship between separate shots, while a long take builds meaning through uninterrupted, real-time continuity.
Key facts
- Montage sequences typically compress events that would take much longer in real time into a brief span of screen time.1
- Early Soviet filmmakers argued that placing two unrelated shots together creates a new idea in the mind of the viewer that neither shot contains on its own, a principle known as Soviet montage theory.2
- Montage can serve different purposes in a single film, including compressing time, building emotional contrast, and establishing rhythm through the pace of cuts.2
- Montage depends specifically on editing and the ability to cut between footage, which distinguishes it from techniques available in live theater.1
Quick checkAccording to Soviet montage theory, where does a montage sequence actually get its meaning from?Show answer
From the relationship the viewer's mind builds between two shots placed next to each other, not from either individual shot by itself.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Montage. Undated (accessed 1 November 2026)
- British Film Institute. Film Editing and Montage. Undated (accessed 1 November 2026)
Editorially reviewed by Last reviewed November 1, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue