Montage and Series of Shots

[craktactor]

Okay... I've searched and searched and searched and then searched some more... what are the cinematic differences between MONTAGE and SERIES OF SHOTS? Which one would be utilized best to visually convey emotion? (as in MOS scenes) This is important. I really need to know. I HATE NOT KNOWING! I just wish some people would answer their PHONES WHEN I CALL! just kidding.... only about the last part. But seriously... anyone?

[craktactor]

Scriv, as usual, top notch, grade A info. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. So, danke, grazie, merci etc...

[Paula]

Scrivener - you now have a document dedicated to you on my computer - I decided to #copy and paste all your fantastic information into one place - as I can never find it again when I come on here to look and so much of it's relevant to what I need to know - I have called it 'Scrivener's scribes'... an insight into script writing by someone who knows...! (actually that last parts not in the title - but it sounds so good!)
so please keep up all that knowledge so I can fill my (sorry your) folder!
THanks
Paula

(P.s # hope i'm not breaching copyright?)

[Julianne - Australia]

Hey there Craktactor and Scrivener,

I haven't checked your links as yet....

I was under the impression the difference between them is one simple word.... 'time'.

Montage is a set of scenes shown to cover a period of time. (Days, months, years...)

Series of shots is a set of scenes to show events.

Juls.

[Julianne - Australia]

Originally Posted by Scrivener

The real difference is filmic continuity.

A montage can be a selection of still photographs, paintings, objects, images of people in different countries, unconnected sounds.

Now... this has confused me. These selections may not show the audience that a period of time has elapsed... therefore, could be set up as a series of shots??? If this is the case - then now I'm confused on what the difference is or (should I say) why the difference is required to be stated.

Although, your comment of unconnected thematic material does make sense, it could still be just a series of shots. OOOohhhh! You really get my brain cells twisting and turning. And lovin' it...

Juls.

[AaronAadamson]

Juls, I think that you can think of a Series or sequence of shots as following the action of a single actor in consecutive time.

Whereas a montage might just be jumping all over in time back and forth from location to location and all be about a "theme" in common or trying to draw the audience to make a connection between them by showing them one after the other as flashes of memory or flashbacks or such. But the images in a montage don't have to follow the same line of action in sequential time, but a series or sequence of shots does have to. See the diff'?

By the way, once again, Scrivener, you prove yourself a leader among us, pointing the way, guiding our hands and minds toward the light--our Prometheus, Buddha, Gandhi, our guru and our friend. Thanks, man!

[Julianne - Australia]

Originally Posted by AaronAadamson

By the way, once again, Scrivener, you prove yourself a leader among us, pointing the way, guiding our hands and minds toward the light--our Prometheus, Buddha, Gandhi, our guru and our friend. Thanks, man!

Oh how right you are here. Thanks Scrivener for sharing with us all. It's a great and kind gesture and I'll tell ya - we're all lovin' it.

But if the light you're talking about here Aaron, if that's THE light, you know... the LIGHT at the end of the tunnel - well I'm not ready yet. I still have a heap of stuff to do yet. Sorry - but I'm gonna have to catch ya's later. But good luck with it all and I'll see ya there later on, later on. hehehe

See the diff'

Now can I be very sarcastic here....... No I won't be.
But yes, I understand what you're saying. Instead of me thinking that a Montage is 'over a period of time', I should be thinking that a Series of Shots is 'sequential time'. Anything else not in that sequential time is not a Series of Shots. Right???

I'm thinking backwards here... If only I could do other things this way.

Juls.

[JennBowen]

Scrivener, you are consistently impressive. Thanks for the clarification; when you explain something, it sounds so simple!

And thanks to Paula: I'm going to follow your idea of copy/paste-ing Scrivener's great definitions. Now I just have to go search for the rest...

[Population17]

opening an old thread.

So.... now I understand the difference between Montage and Series of Shots.

My question is two-parts:

1) How do you open a montage sequence? Give an initial Slugline then go into it, trusting that the montage will convey if time and location changes?

2) Then, once the montage is stated, how much "action" goes into each one? Is there a good rule of thumb for that? Should it be simple and listed much like a Series of Shots with A, B, C, D, etc?

Basically, I need to show a 2-3 day span of time, generally at one location and with the same group of people.

thanks guys

brad

p.s. Okay, so maybe my question was more like 5 parts.

[Population17]

I think I found the answer...

http://lucyvee.blogspot.com/2007/02/montage.html

Nice reference article. Very helpful and directly answered.

thanks

brad