Scene Detail

Scene Detail

The scene detail view is where you do the hands-on work of breaking down a scene. It uses a two-panel layout: the screenplay text on the left and the breakdown details on the right.

Prerequisites

  • Navigate to the Breakdown section and click a scene row to open its detail view.

Layout

Left Panel: Screenplay

The left side displays the scene’s screenplay content — the scene heading, action lines, dialogue, and transitions. This gives you the source text to reference while tagging elements.

Right Panel: Detail Panel

The right side (visible on screens 600px or wider) contains all the breakdown metadata and element management tools.

On narrower screens, the detail panel takes the full width and the screenplay panel is hidden.

Detail Panel Sections

The detail panel has a scrollable top section with scene metadata, followed by tabbed content for elements and an activity log.

Scene Metadata

At the top of the detail panel, you’ll find:

Stats Row

  • Page Start — Where this scene begins in the script.
  • Page Length — How many pages the scene covers.
  • Screen Time — Estimated screen time.
  • Shooting Time — Estimated shooting time.

Weather / Time of Day

  • A visual indicator showing the time of day (sun, moon, etc.).
  • Editable to correct parsing. Project admins must first turn on Edit mode in the breakdown; other users with edit access can change it directly.

Status and Closed Set

  • Review Status — A pill showing the scene’s breakdown progress: Not Started, In Progress, or Complete. Click it to change.
  • Closed Set — A toggle indicating whether the scene requires a closed set. Click the lock icon to toggle.

Setting, Set, and Location

These three fields are distinct and never interchangeable:

  • Setting — the in-story place from the script’s slugline (e.g. “WALT’S HOUSE - KITCHEN”). Parsed at ingest; edit it with the setting picker.
  • Set — the production-tracked in-story space (a Set entity). Link the scene to a Set with the set picker.
  • Location — the real-world filming address (a Location entity). Link the scene to a Location with the location picker.

Each is editable when edit mode is on.

Dropdowns

  • Sequence — Assign the scene to a shooting sequence.
  • Unit — Assign to a shooting unit (Main Unit, Second Unit, etc.).
  • Script Day — Set which day in the story this scene takes place.

Synopsis

  • A text field for the scene’s summary. You can write it manually or use an AI-generated synopsis.
  • If AI has generated a synopsis, you’ll see it displayed with an option to revert to the AI version.

Note on splitting: Splitting a scene now produces independent scenes — there is no “split into parts” info bar and no merge-back. See Scene splitting.

Detail Tabs

Below the metadata, two tabs organize the breakdown content:

Elements Tab

This is where you manage the scene’s elements (props, cast, wardrobe, etc.).

Add Category Row at the bottom of the elements list opens the Add Custom Category dialog so you can create a new element category for this project (e.g. “Drone”, “Stunt Vehicles”). Created categories appear immediately in the breakdown elements list and are reusable across scenes.

To tag elements to a scene, expand any element section and use its inline + button, or run AI Element Breakdown from the breakdown overview’s AI Tools menu.

Element Sections below are grouped by element type (Cast Members, Props, Wardrobe, etc.). Each section shows:

  • A colored count badge matching the element type’s color.
  • The type name.
  • An expand/collapse chevron.

When expanded, each section shows element tags — small colored pills with the element name. You can:

  • Click a tag to highlight where it appears in the screenplay text.
  • Remove an element by clicking the X on its tag.

Activity Tab

Shows a chronological activity log for this scene — recent changes such as element edits, status changes, and breakdown updates — with who made each change and when.

Where scene data shows up next

The breakdown you build here feeds everything downstream:

  • Elements tagged to the scene drive the call sheet’s department requirements and the DOOD; character elements also feed the cast call list and sides.
  • Cast linked through character elements appear on the call sheet and in sides for the days the scene is scheduled.
  • Set and Location links surface in the schedule strip board columns and the call sheet’s locations section.
  • Script Day, Sequence, and Unit feed scheduling and the reports.

Reports are snapshots, so refresh (re-snapshot) a report to pull through changes you make here.

Tips

  • Click element tags to see where they’re mentioned in the screenplay — the left panel highlights the relevant text.
  • Use the stats row to quickly gauge scene complexity by page length and element count.
  • Set the script day early — it helps with continuity checking and scheduling.
  • The review status pill is useful for tracking which scenes have been fully broken down.