Start with a blank script breakdown sheet template (XLSX, CSV, or PDF) so the fields are in front of you. This post walks through each field in the order you'll fill them, using one scene from a fictional feature as the example. If you're new to breakdowns in general, what is a script breakdown covers the categories and why they matter.
The example scene
Here's scene 71 from LOW WATER, a small crime drama. It starts at the bottom of page 63 and runs onto page 64.
71 EXT. MERCER'S GAS STATION - DUSK
The last light is going. DELL's pickup pulls in beside the
single pump. He gets out, still in the torn jacket, and
starts to fill up.
A SHERIFF'S CRUISER rolls past on the highway, slows, then
keeps going. Dell watches it go.
Inside, through the window, the ATTENDANT (60s) watches Dell.
ATTENDANT (V.O.)
(over the speaker)
Pump two, you're paid up.
Dell looks at the window. He didn't pay. He hangs up the
nozzle, takes a paper bag from the passenger seat, and walks
toward the store.
It looks like a small scene. It isn't.
Step 1: The header fields you copy
Start with what's printed in the scene heading. Copy it exactly, because these fields are what everything else gets sorted and searched by.
| Field | Entry | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Scene | 71 | Include any letter, like 71A |
| INT/EXT | EXT | Use I/E if the scene moves in and out |
| Set | MERCER'S GAS STATION | Word for word from the heading |
| Day/Night | DUSK | Keep DUSK or DAWN; don't round to D or N |
| Script pages | 63 to 64 | The page numbers it appears on |
Keeping DUSK as its own value is worth the extra care. A dusk scene has a short window of usable light, and the 1st AD needs to spot it when building the schedule. If you write N, it might land at 10:00P.
Step 2: The page count
Measure the scene in eighths. Scene 71 takes up the bottom 3/8 of page 63 and the top 5/8 of page 64. That's 3/8 + 5/8 = 8/8, so the scene is exactly 1 page.
Write it as "1", not "8/8". A scene that ran 3/8 on one page and 6/8 on the next would be 9/8, written as 1 1/8.
If you're not sure how to split a page, how to calculate script page counts explains the method and the rounding.
Step 3: The script day
The script day is the day in the story when this scene happens. It's not in the heading. You work it out by reading what comes before.
Say scene 68 was EXT. RIVER LANDING - DAY where Dell tore his jacket, and there's been no night since. Then scene 71 is on the same day. If that's the fourth story day, write D4.
Script days matter because wardrobe, makeup, and props use them to match looks. "Torn jacket" in scene 71 only makes sense if the jacket tore earlier on the same day. If you're unsure, write your best guess and add "confirm with script supervisor" in notes.
Step 4: The synopsis
One line, specific enough to tell this scene apart from others at the same set. "Dell at gas station" won't do if Dell goes to the gas station three times.
For scene 71: "Dell fills up, sheriff drives past, attendant says he's already paid."
Keep it short enough to fit on a strip. Around 12 words is a good limit.
Step 5: Cast
List every speaking character and every character with specific story action, by ID number and name. If the cast list isn't numbered yet, number it now in order of importance or scene count and stick with it.
For scene 71:
-
- DELL
-
- ATTENDANT
The attendant's line is voice-over through a speaker, but he's also seen through the window, so he's an on-camera speaking role. Even if he were only a voice, list him, because someone has to record the line and the actor may need to be on set.
Step 6: Background
Write a number and a description, never "some people."
For scene 71: 2 background. One driver in a car at the far pump, one pedestrian on the highway shoulder, both optional.
Mark counts you invented so the director can confirm them. On an ultra-low budget show, "optional" background is often the first thing cut.
Step 7: Props
Anything a character handles, and anything the story depends on.
- Gas nozzle and pump (practical, needs to work or look like it does)
- Paper bag from passenger seat (what's in it? Check scene 72)
- Attendant's microphone or speaker (practical or sound effect)
The paper bag is a good example of a prop that crosses scenes. If it matters later, props needs to know which scene it's introduced in and what's inside.
Step 8: Wardrobe
Describe the look and connect it to other scenes.
- Dell: work jacket, torn (damage from sc. 68). Same look as sc. 68 through 74.
- Attendant: gas station shirt or jacket, seen through glass only.
Damaged costumes usually need multiples. If Dell's jacket tears on camera in scene 68, wardrobe needs at least one clean version for earlier scenes and more than one torn version in case of a problem. That's the costume designer's call, but your note is what alerts them.
Step 9: Makeup and hair
Anything beyond the standard look for that character. Scene 71 doesn't mention an injury, but check earlier scenes. If Dell cut his hand in scene 68, write "Dell: cut on left hand (from sc. 68), bandaged or not?" as a question for makeup and the script supervisor.
Step 10: Vehicles
- Dell's pickup (picture vehicle, drives in)
- Sheriff's cruiser (picture vehicle, drive-by on highway, needs precision driver or a controlled road)
- Car at far pump (background vehicle, optional)
The cruiser is a bigger item than it looks. A marked police vehicle needs to be rented from a picture car company or dressed, and driving it on a public highway usually needs permits and sometimes police. Add that to notes.
Step 11: Special effects, visual effects, and sound
- Special effects: none, unless the pump needs a practical fuel effect
- Visual effects: possibly clean up the gas station's real signage and prices if not cleared
- Sound: attendant's line through a speaker. Record clean and treat in post, or play back on set for Dell's reaction
Step 12: Special equipment
Dusk exterior with a moving car. The DP may want a second camera to get the cruiser pass in one go, since there may only be one or two chances before the light is gone. Write "B camera for cruiser pass (confirm with DP)."
Step 13: Notes
Everything that affects the scene as a whole:
- DUSK: short light window. Schedule one scene only at this location that evening, or shoot scene 71 first.
- Highway: road permit, possibly traffic control for cruiser pass.
- Gas station signage and brand clearance.
- Location: working gas station, needs to be closed or partly closed.
The finished sheet
| Field | Scene 71 |
|---|---|
| Scene / set | 71, EXT. MERCER'S GAS STATION, DUSK |
| Pages | 1 (pp. 63 to 64) |
| Script day | D4 |
| Synopsis | Dell fills up, sheriff drives past, attendant says he's already paid |
| Cast | 1. DELL, 9. ATTENDANT |
| Background | 2 (driver at far pump, pedestrian), optional |
| Props | Gas nozzle and pump, paper bag (see sc. 72), attendant's speaker |
| Wardrobe | Dell: torn work jacket (sc. 68 to 74). Attendant: station shirt |
| Makeup | Dell: check hand injury from sc. 68 |
| Vehicles | Dell's pickup, sheriff's cruiser (drive-by), background car |
| SFX / VFX | VFX signage cleanup if uncleared |
| Sound | Attendant V.O. through speaker |
| Special equipment | B camera for cruiser pass |
| Notes | Dusk window, highway permit and traffic control, brand clearance, working station |
One page of script, 14 lines of text, and it involves casting, two picture vehicles, a road permit, a clearance question, and a scheduling constraint.
Habits that keep sheets accurate
Fill out sheets in script order, not shooting order. You'll catch continuity (the torn jacket, the injury) because you've just read the scene where it happened.
Use the same names every time. If the pickup is "Dell's pickup" on one sheet and "Dell's truck" on another, the vehicle list ends up with two entries.
Write questions, not guesses, when you don't know. "Is the truck in sc. 38 Hollis's?" gets answered. A guess gets built into the budget.
Date the sheet with the script revision it was made from. When blue pages come out, you'll know which sheets to recheck.
Send each department their category. The prop master doesn't need the vehicle list, but they should read every prop line and tell you what you missed.
Mistakes to avoid
Rounding DUSK and DAWN to D or N. The constraint disappears.
Listing background as "crowd." Nobody can budget it.
Skipping voice-over and off-screen characters. Someone still has to perform them.
Missing items that carry from earlier scenes: wounds, torn clothes, props a character took with them.
Filling out sheets from memory instead of re-reading the scene.
After the sheets are done
Every sheet becomes a strip on the stripboard (scene, set, day or night, pages, cast), and the element lines go under that scene in the long-form shooting schedule. Department heads build their own lists from your categories. When the schedule is set, the 2nd AD pulls the element lines for each day into the call sheet notes.
Breakdown sheets in Storiara
In Storiara, an uploaded PDF, Word, or Final Draft script is split into scenes from the headings, and page counts in eighths are measured from the PDF layout (you can edit them). AI extracts characters, locations, props, wardrobe, and music and effects for each scene. You can read the script beside the lists, highlight any text to add it as a prop, vehicle, stunt, makeup item, or another category, and print a single breakdown sheet or all of them. Implied items and background counts are still yours to add.