Read the scene, plan the work
Script breakdown software that feeds the schedule.
Every scene is a list of things somebody has to bring, build or book. Tag them once in Film Logic and the board, the reports and the call sheets all know about them.
Tagging is reading twice
A breakdown is not data entry. It is the second, slower read of the script, the one where you stop asking what happens and start asking what it takes. Film Logic keeps the screenplay and its breakdown side by side so you can do that read without leaving the page.
Import .fdx, PDF or our own .fls, or write the script here. Scene headings, characters and locations come across on import. Then go through it and tag what needs attention: props, wardrobe, vehicles, animals, stunts, effects, extras.
The breakdown is the first step of a longer workflow. See where it goes next, or read what a script breakdown is if you are doing one for the first time.
One scene, broken down
INT. CAFE - DAY
Maya hands Ethan a sealed envelope. Rain streaks the window behind them.
Two lines. Here is what they actually cost:
- Cast. Maya and Ethan. Both now owe you a day.
- Props. The envelope, sealed, and however many duplicates the takes will eat.
- Set. A cafe. Which one, and does the real window face the right way?
- Effects. Rain outside the glass. Rain bar, a hose, or a day you gamble on the weather. Somebody has to own that decision and it should be written down.
- Background. Nobody wrote "other customers", but an empty cafe in the middle of the day reads as a set.
The last one is the point. Tagging catches what is written; reading catches what is implied.
What the breakdown carries downstream
Page eighths, interior or exterior, day or night, and the location go with the scene. That is what the stripboard sorts and groups on, and what the Day Out of Days counts.
Elements get their own directory, so you can answer "every scene with the envelope in it" without searching the script again.
Share it with the people who need it
Invite the departments who care about their own elements. Project roles decide who can change the breakdown and who can only read it, and collaborators do not cost extra.
If you would rather learn the process on paper first, the breakdown guide walks through it, and the element guide explains the categories.
Common questions
Which screenplay files can I bring in?
Final Draft-compatible .fdx, PDF, and .fls, our own native format. Check the result of a PDF import before you build on it, particularly for scans or scripts with unusual page layouts. Importing a screenplay is not the same as importing another application's finished breakdown, which has to be redone.
Can I break down without importing a script?
Yes. Write the script in Film Logic, or create scenes directly and tag those. Documentaries and commercials often have no screenplay to import in the first place.
Do I have to tag everything?
No, and you should not try. Tag what changes a decision: what has to be bought, booked, rigged, licensed or shown up for. A breakdown that lists every coffee cup is a breakdown nobody reads.
Film Logic
Break down your own script this week
Thirty days, every feature, unlimited collaborators, no card. Import a screenplay and tag the first ten scenes, which is usually enough to know whether this suits how you work.
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