Reading a Script

Reading a Script

The script viewer is where you read and navigate through your screenplay. It renders your script in the traditional screenplay format with Courier Prime font, proper formatting for scene headings, action, dialogue, and transitions.

The Script Viewer Layout

The script viewer screen is divided into several areas:

Episode Panel (desktop only)

On screens 900px or wider, a panel on the left side shows all episodes in your project. Each episode can be expanded to reveal its scripts and revisions. Click an episode to load its scripts, then click a specific script to view it.

Script Header

The header bar at the top shows:

  • Episode number and title for the currently selected episode.
  • Version pill — Displays the current revision label (e.g., “Blue” or “V2”). Click it to see all available revisions and switch between them.
  • Action buttons:
    • Lock & Share — Publish/lock the script and manage sharing (admin only).
    • Translate — Translate the script into another language.
    • Compare — Enter revision comparison mode.
    • View — Switch the display mode (Continuous, Page, or Scene Per Page).
    • PDF Download — Generate and download the script as a PDF.
    • Settings — Open script settings (admin only).

To upload a new revision, use the revision selector at the top of the screen (the version pill) and choose Upload Revision.

Script Body

The main reading area displays the screenplay content. The script is rendered with proper formatting:

  • Scene Headings (slug lines) — Bold, all-caps lines like INT. OFFICE - DAY.
  • Action — Narrative description paragraphs.
  • Dialogue — Character name centered above their lines, with optional parenthetical direction.
  • Transitions — Right-aligned elements like CUT TO: or FADE OUT.

The footer bar at the bottom provides navigation controls. You can navigate by:

  • Scenes — Jump between scene headings.
  • Pages — Jump between page boundaries.

Use the left/right arrows or the scene/page counter to navigate.

Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
[ (left bracket)Go to previous scene or page
] (right bracket)Go to next scene or page

View Modes

The script viewer supports three view modes (switch with the View button in the header):

  • Continuous — The entire script rendered as a scrollable document.
  • Page — One page at a time, matching the physical page layout of the screenplay.
  • Scene Per Page — One scene per page, with a page break between scenes.

Switching Revisions

  1. Click the version pill in the script header.
  2. A dropdown shows all available revisions, labeled by their revision color or version number.
  3. Click a revision to switch to it. The script body updates immediately.

Comparing Revisions

  1. Click the Compare button in the script header.
  2. Select two revisions to compare.
  3. Choose a comparison mode:
    • Side-by-side — Both revisions displayed next to each other with differences highlighted.
    • Scene view — Scene-by-scene comparison.
  4. Click the close button to exit comparison mode and return to normal reading.

Comments

Click a scene heading in the script body to open the comments panel on the right side. You can add scene-level comments and see what others have said.

Continuity Warnings

If continuity checking has been run, a button in the footer lets you open the continuity warnings popover. This shows any issues detected across scenes, such as:

  • Time-of-day inconsistencies
  • Location logic problems
  • Script structure issues
  • Script day ambiguities

Warnings are categorized by severity: error, warning, or info. You can dismiss false positives by ignoring individual warnings.

Tips

  • Use keyboard shortcuts ([ and ]) for fast navigation between scenes.
  • The episode panel is only visible on wider screens (900px+). On smaller screens, use the episode selector in the header.
  • The PDF download generates a properly formatted screenplay PDF from the current revision.
  • When a new revision is uploaded, it appears in the version pill dropdown automatically.