How to Make a Video Montage Online (Quick & Easy)
Video montages have created some of the most memorable scenes in movie history.
Honorable mentions include Rocky's run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the opening sequence of Up, showing the milestones of Ellie and Carl’s relationship (we’re not crying, you’re crying).
Video montages are a great way to tell a story over a short amount of time. They evoke emotion in a simple and very visual way, which is a great storytelling device.
What is a video montage?
A video montage is an effective way to tell a story through short clips. The word “montage” derives from the French word meaning “to put together” elements of text, sounds, images, or photos.
Montages are a popular way to convey messages, emotions, or the passage of time in a condensed format. With the power of editing, a plotline that could have taken multiple scenes to deliver can be concentrated into a series of short clips.
Think of your favorite movie—it most likely has a montage at one point or another.
Why make a video montage?
Are you looking to elevate your storytelling or brand identity? Video montages might just be for you.
86 percent of marketing professionals use video as a marketing tool. Video montages are a great way to market your brand while keeping it fun and fresh.
The fun part about making a video montage is that no two montages look the same. You can personalize your montage through the power of editing. Don’t worry, we’ll give you some ideas on how to do that later on.
Montage vs collage: what’s the difference?
You’re probably familiar with montages and collages, but here’s a little refresher anyway. The difference between the two is pretty simple—a collage is a composition of photos whereas a montage is a compilation of videos.
They’re very different forms of media but are both used to condense material together for the sake of storytelling.
The video montage is like the collage’s older sibling that takes a gap year in Paris and comes back with a French accent—slightly pretentious but still very useful.
3 creative video montage ideas
If you’ve never made a video montage before, you might be wondering what the benefits are. Video montages are a great storytelling tool. There are endless ways you can use a video montage to your advantage.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Share a special event
Did you recently go on vacation? Or maybe you just celebrated a birthday? If you took a bunch of videos during the special event, consider making a video montage to remember it by.
Having a video montage of your special events to look back on is better than any scrapbook ever could be! It will bring you back to that moment in an instant.
Promote your brand
Did you know that 54 percent of consumers want to see more video content from the brands they support?
A video montage is a perfect option for promoting your brand. It’s easy, affordable, and will surely grab your audience’s attention.
Whether it’s for your business or personal brand, a video montage will offer just enough information to promote yourself to new and existing audiences. Think of it as a trailer or a commercial. You can even post it to social media or use it as an ad.
Set the scene
Video montages are a great way to cut up longer format videos or establish a new scene.
For example, if you were editing a vlog and wanted to change locations, adding a video montage of your surroundings would be the best way to orient your audience to your new scene without losing any context in the process.
How to make a video montage with Animoto
You might be wondering how to make a video montage. Not to worry, we’ve got you covered with a step-by-step walkthrough.
Step 1
Choose your idea and stick with it. Your first opening seconds will set the tone of your video montage, so make sure you use them wisely. Just keep your intended audience in mind, stick to the purpose of your video, and you’ll be good to go.
Animoto’s video editor is free and easy to use. Start from scratch or use a video template to achieve your desired video montage.
We recommend a template that fits with the theme you’re going for. For example, if you want to make a montage of your recent holiday, the Vacation Recap template would be perfect for you.
If you’re feeling stuck, consult one of our tutorials on how to make videos. All your questions can be answered there.
Step 2
Use a variety of clips to convey your story. The last thing you want is a stagnant video. Try different angles, locations, and pacing—have some fun with it!
Editing a bunch of short clips can be overwhelming without a game plan. If it’s easier for you to map out your video montage on a storyboard, do that.
Also, don’t hesitate to try out different sequences until you get it just right.
Step 3
Don’t forget the music! In all honesty, this is what will make your video montage worth watching. A good song can take any video to the next level.
Browse through our song library to pick the perfect song for your video montage. This part might take the longest—it’s always the toughest decision to make. Filter songs by mood and genre to find the track that conveys the right emotion for your video montage.
Step 4
Once you're happy with your new montage video, it’s time to share it. You can share your video to a variety of social media channels directly from Animoto.
3 tips on making a memorable video montage
Make it personal
Anyone can make a video montage, so why would someone be interested in watching yours?
Adding a personal flair to your video montage will keep it memorable and engaging. There are infinite ways to customize your video montage through Animoto. Don’t be shy to make it your own.
Use narration
Using narration over a video montage is a great option to enhance your message without dialogue. It’s an easy way to get a lot of information across to your audience in a short amount of time, all while remaining entertaining!
Speed it up
The worst thing is content that drags on without any clear direction. Engaging and memorable video montages are concise and to the point.
A video montage will help you speed up your content and make it more enjoyable to watch. When in doubt, keep it brief—your audience will thank you.
Video montage examples to inspire you
Unsure on where to get started? Use these examples as some inspiration for the tone you want to strike with your video montage.
Keep it light
Do you know when the geek gets a makeover and somehow becomes the most popular person in school in just a few short minutes? That’s all thanks to the power of video montages!
These video montages are often the most fun scenes of the whole movie. Here’s one of our favorite video montage glow-ups from the classic film Clueless.
Use this as inspiration to have fun with your creation. Between the clips, you include to the music you choose, try to never take yourself too seriously!
Powerful storytelling
In this commercial, Apple uses the triple threat of video montage, voice-over narration, and inspiring music to set the tone.
Whether you’re looking to promote your brand or are creating a video montage just for fun, try playing around with narration and music. They’re bound to enhance your montage. You can add narration by using Animoto’s voiceover feature to either upload a prerecorded voiceover or record directly into the platform.
Songs for a video montage
Think of what emotion your video montage is trying to evoke from your audience and choose a song accordingly. Is it happy, hopeful, sad, or frustrated? Whatever it is, there’s a song for it.
There’s no wrong choice when deciding on a song, but we’d advise you to align it with the theme of your video montage. Putting a sad song over a vacation montage might give your viewers the wrong idea.
Luckily, you have an endless amount of songs to choose from with Animoto’s music library. You can even search by mood, which is perfect for editing video montages.
Ready to make a video montage?
Whether you’re looking to up your content creation game or just wanting to try something new, a video montage is a perfect solution for all your storytelling needs.
With Animoto’s easy-to-use video editor and all of these video montage ideas, all you need to do is start.