Video montages are one of the best types of video formats people enjoy, and they are useful for different occasions. Whether you want to create a montage of your memories as an anniversary gift or create a montage of product photos for promotions, uses are multiple here. This prompts the need for users to learn how to make a montage, and that is what we will cover in this post.
These videos, with a series of shots and information edited together cohesively in sequence, are useful for showcasing storyline progress. Here, you will learn about use cases of the process, like a birthday video montage, more ideas, and the process of making them. Read on if any of that interests you.
In this article
Part 1. Classic Montage Ideas in Art and Film
Video montages play a major role in films, art productions, and gaming, like the call of duty montage.
In terms of the first example, when you watch movies, you might notice this technique used in many movies, utilized more prominently since the 1920s when Sergei Eisenstein coined the term first. These scenes appear as stitched-together shots of the characters showing time passage, enjoying activities or memories.
Different techniques are common, like rhythmic, metric, intellectual, or tonal. For example, the 2000 movie "Requiem for a Dream” showcased an intellectual/metric style of video montage to show the disorientating effect of the character under drug influence. A relatively recent example would be Benedict Cumberbatch’s 2016 movie “Doctor Strange”, where the montage shows the titular character’s interaction with the villain (no spoilers).
3 Top Montages in Film for All Times
If the above two examples did not fully express what is a montage video, seeing more examples should help. For this, here are three of the top montage examples available in Film History, each version representing a separate video montage style.
1. Rocky (1976)
One of the most notable montages is available in the 1976 action movie, the Sylvester Stallone-starrer "Rocky". The type of video montage that is visible in this movie is rhythmic in nature, showcasing the training the character undergoes. This is edited with a musical background score, summarising some shots' full training progression process.
To add an emotive tone to the video, music is added to the video clip that engages audiences to feel the character's passion. A rhythmic style of video montage technique is used to cut the shorts as per the content. The lengths of each clip are not similar and differ as per the action going on in the scene.
2. Mulan (1998)
Video montages are also visible in animated movies, as seen in the 1998 version of Disney’s “Mulan”. The scene in question is where the song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” plays while Mulan undergoes strict training for the military from the male lead. A sequence of shots showing her progress is shown.
Here, the video montage is shown with the background music that perfectly aligns with what is occurring in the video. The visuals and the audio in the background cohesively show the main character's struggle, which creates an emotional response in the audience. Therefore, the style of video montage here falls under tonal or overtonal categories.
Watch this video to get an idea of how music and visuals can partner for tonal video montages.
3. Creed (2015)
Like in the Rocky movie, its 2015 sequel, “Creed”, also has a video montage. Here, the clips in the sequence are also used to depict the intense training progress. However, where it differs from the rhythmic formula is that the sequence highlights the emotional journey or determination of Adonis Creed to succeed.
Plus, this video montage is a homage to the original version; the tonal effect is further noticeable in the scene of Rocky's health deterioration against Creed's training. Thus, it juxtaposes the two scenes, creating an emotional impact on viewers to root for the main character.
Watch this video to understand what is a montage video of the tonal type.
Part 2. Creative Montage Ideas for Social Media
Of course, movies and TV shows are the only types of media where video montage techniques are useful. Many non-professionals use options like a fortnite montage editor to create and edit montage videos for other projects they can share across platforms. Some even create video montages to create videos for social media.
These include vlog-like videos that people record and then edit together into a montage which different techniques. Plus, some users create montages of different things that interest them, like gameplay. Then, they share those videos across social media for views, like on TikTok or YouTube.
· Gaming Montages
Different creators focus on developing gaming montages to create projects for the games they operate. These can include videos showcasing the skills or gameplays of the creation, all explaining a specific theme in some cases.
There are different games that the users focus on for showcasing their gaming prowess in action. Common examples include Fortnite, Call of Duty, CSGO, or PUBG montage videos.
Watch this video to get an idea.
· Wedding Montages
Many users turn to edit video montages for specific occasions, adding clips of different moments instead of one long-running documentary. They incorporate stylish effects like slow motion and transitions, incorporate a moving background score, and more.
Many top influencers and celebrities have used this technique for their wedding videos on social media. Additionally, regular people also adopt the style.
Watch this video as an example.
· Birthday Montages
Like wedding videos, users can try out the video montage technique to create videos for birthdays. These can include scenes of the main creator throughout their preparation phase for the party. Alternately, some users create video montages of their experience leading up to the video celebration, through a longer period or the same day.
Watch this video to understand how these videos may look.
Part 3. How Can I Create Easily a Montage Video?
After understanding the types of video montage techniques and ideas, the next point of concern is learning how to make a montage.
One of the best editing software to use for this process is Wondershare Filmora. With this editor, you can create different video montages as per the theme, customized or instantly. Filmora includes premium-quality effects and transitions, including free stock media that you can also add. Plus, the software allows the ability to record voiceover and adjust background scores in the video.
You can also choose the aspect ratio for the video, depending on the platform you post it on. For example, if you are creating a full professional-level scene montage, use the widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio, like in YouTube videos. Or, use the portrait (9:16) for mobile-based videos for TikTok videos or a 1:1 aspect ratio for Instagram videos.
Watch this video to know how it works.
Features of Filmora for Video Montage Making
There are multiple top-quality features available in the Filmora software that is useful for creating and editing video montages. Use them and create dynamic videos.
1. Screen Recorder
The Screen Recorder feature is accessible through the home page of the Filmora software after launching. Since the first stage of making a montage involves getting the video clips for it, you can use this to record the video. For example, if you have a movie saved on your desktop, use the screen recorder and tap the Play button to record the screen.
You can adjust further settings, like which headphone or speaker to use for the audio recording.
2. Preset Templates
Next comes the editing process. After completing the recording process for the montage video, you can use preset templates on Filmora via Instant Mode. This is useful for users who do not have enough time to fully edit a long montage video or have the technical skills for it.
You can click on the Instant Mode tab on the home page. Then, choose the specific theme of the video montage you will create, like Birthday, Wedding, Business, etc. After selecting the theme, you can insert multiple video clips into the editor. Adjust the clips in sequence and press the "Auto-Create" button.
3. Abundant Video Effects and Music Resources
If you want to customize the video montage video manually, you can use the various effects and advanced features in the main editor timeline. For example, click on the Effects tab to find your options.
After importing the file(s) into the editor and dragging it to the timeline, you can use the Crop icon to cut clips. Then, rearrange them and merge them. Plus, further editing features are available for premium-level edits, like the Chroma Key. Click on it and add a green screen in the background.
The AI Portrait feature is also available, automatically detecting the main character and accurately removing the background.
You can adjust the speed of transitions in the video with the Speed Ramping function. Many high-quality effects are available under the Effects tab, and you can add audio to the video through the Media tab.
Conclusion
Video montages are one of the tried-and-tested methods used in film-making, gaming videos, and social media videos. You can use Filmora to create such video montages based on the type of video montage technique that fits it. Then, share it directly to YouTube or save it for transferring across different platforms.
