It was a day like any other.
Just kidding… My one-and-a-half-year-old? He got his shots.
No fun, total breakdown—but 10 minutes later? Swinging, sliding, laughing.
All the fun.
But here’s the real breakdown I want to share—script breakdown.
(see what I did there? haha!)
Before We Dive In…
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Script Breakdown
If you want to succeed on a filmset, you need to win in pre-production.
The script breakdown is step one.
We need to know all the elements that go into every scene.
These elements are:
- Characters
- Stunts
- Extras / Atmosphere
- Special Effects
- Props
- Vehicles / Animals
- Wardrobe
- Makeup / Hair
- Sound Effects / Music
- Special Equipment
In the past, 1st ADs would write each scene’s details by hand.
Today? Digital templates can automate almost everything.
The Step-By-Step
Step 1. Go through your script and number all your scenes.
Step 2. Go scene-by-scene and highlight every element that shows up.
Use the legend.
- Characters / Cast – Red
- Stunts – Yellow
- Extras / Atmosphere – Green
- Special Effects – Blue
- Props – Purple
- Vehicles / Animals – Pink
- Wardrobe – (Circled)
- Makeup / Hair – Asterisk*
- Sound Effects / Music – Orange
- Special Equipment – [Boxed]
Step 3. Create a page for each scene. You can use this template. It’s free. (click File > Make a copy)
Transfer all the elements that you highlighted and fill out the details.
You think that’s a lot of work? Welcome to filmmaking!
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