Formats · Length 15-45s · 9:16 · intermediate
Montage video: how to shoot, edit, and prompt it
A montage is a run of short clips cut to music that packs a stretch of time, a process, or a mood into under a minute.
By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24 · Example: @sulansart
- Platforms
- TikTok, Reels, Shorts, YouTube
- Length
- 15-45s
- Aspect
- 9:16
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Gear
- phone, 20-40 clips, a music track
My semester paintings video is one. Pick the song first if you can. The song's structure becomes the edit's structure.
At a glance
| Best for | Recaps, studio process, trips, "a month in 30 seconds" |
| Hook style | Your best two clips first, before the beat drops |
| Pacing | 0.5-2 seconds per clip, faster as the music builds |
| Caption style | One title, maybe a closing line |
| Music | The whole edit is built on it |
| Shot list | 20-40 clips of 3-8 seconds. Wide, medium, close. Movement in most. One or two slow moments. |
| Common mistakes | Cuts that ignore the music. Every clip from the same distance. No change of speed. |
Structure
- 0-3s: two strongest clips, quiet part of the track
- 3-20s: build, cuts on each beat
- 20-25s: one held clip, 3 seconds
- 25-40s: peak, cuts on half-beats
- 40-45s: last clip on the final hit
How to shoot it
- Short bursts, 5 seconds each, more angles than you think you need.
- Movement in every clip. Yours or the camera's.
- A detail, a medium, and a wide at every spot.
- Film transitions. A hand over the lens, a whip pan.
- Pick the song before you shoot if you can.
How to edit it
- Mark the beats and the drop first.
- Cut on beats. Switch between every beat and every other beat.
- Held clip right before the drop.
- Match movement direction across cuts when you can.
- Speed ramp one or two clips into a beat.
- One title, nothing else.
Prompt it in Vyra
Build a 30-second montage from all the studio clips this month, cut to the attached track. Cuts on the beat, faster after the drop, and one held 3-second shot of the finished painting right before the drop. Start with the two best-looking clips. No captions except the title "March" for the first 2 seconds.
Use the fast-slow-fast pacing of the attached reference and match its warm color grade.
Swap any clip that's blurry or has someone walking through the frame.
Variations
- Process montage, one project start to finish.
- Recap montage, an event or a trip.
- Speed ramp montage, heavy time remapping on beats.
FAQ
How do I pick the music? Something with a clear beat and one drop.
How many clips? About one per beat you'll cut on. For 30 seconds at 120 bpm, 25-40 clips.
Can Vyra beat-sync? Yes. Attach the track, ask for cuts on the beat, and say where to speed up or hold.