A: The keyword to remember here is: 'Running out of time'.
First let's see what does the word 'Montage' mean.
Wikipedia says: "Montage is a film editing technique in which a series of short shots are sequenced to condense space, time, and information".
So when you have too much story much to tell, but have little screen time left, you seek the help of a Montage sequence.
In Indian movies, montages are widely used in the form of songs --commonly referred to as 'Montage song'.
A montage song is combination of shots usually accompanied by Music.
Q: When to use a Montage song?
A: Although Montage songs can be used for various purposes in a movie, they are most commonly used to establish the growing relationship between two lead characters.
e.g.
THEGIDI(2014)
This movie is essentially a 'whodunit' where the Protagonist investigates a series of mysterious murders. So there's very little time to establish how the relationship between the Hero and Heroine grows. Showing this growth in their inter-personal relationship via scenes will not only take up a lot of screen time, but also reduce the pace of narration that Thrillers normally have. Hence the Montage song.
Few other examples:
Movie: TAXIWAALA(2018)
Movie: PREMAM(2015)
Movie: MAARI(2015)
This song shows how the Hero goes from not liking the Heroine to liking her:
Want to show your Hero and Heroine falling in love; getting married & have children, but have limited screen time to show them? No worries! Show it via a Montage song like this:
Movie: THERI(2016)
Not just relationships, Montage songs can also be used to show things like 'Rags to riches' story of how your poor Hero became rich by working his butt off 24/7.
©ScriptsAsylum, 2020
Comments