Reading the header
The top of the sheet carries everything a strip will later need. A filled-in header for a mid-film scene might read:
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Sheet no. | 57 |
| Scene | 42 |
| INT/EXT | EXT |
| Set | GAS STATION, PUMPS |
| Day/Night | N |
| Pages | 5/8 |
| Script day | N4 |
| Synopsis | Maya fills a gas can; clerk calls police |
| Location | Sunny's Fuel, Route 9 |
Sheet numbers and scene numbers drift apart quickly once A-scenes and omitted scenes show up, which is why both fields exist. The set is the story place ("GAS STATION, PUMPS"); the location is the real address you'll shoot at. Page count is in eighths. The script day tells wardrobe and makeup which story day they're dressing for.
The element boxes
Below the header, the sheet splits into category boxes. Cast goes in by ID number and character name, with IDs taken from the cast list (1 is usually the lead). Background goes in as counts with descriptions. Everything else is a plain list. A row from the scene above:
| Cast | Background | Props | Vehicles | SFX | Wardrobe | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Maya, 7. Clerk | 1 motorist at pump 2 | gas can (red), cigarettes, lighter | Maya's 1987 Volvo | rain towers | Maya: Change 6 (wet) | open flame near pumps |
The boxes match the breakdown color codes, so an element underlined in orange in the script ends up in the stunts box and nowhere else. Consistent naming matters more than neatness. If the car is "Maya's Volvo" on sheet 57 and "the station wagon" on sheet 63, the transportation coordinator will count two cars.
Common mistakes
People forget to fill in the script day, and the costume team finds out at the fitting that Maya needs four changes, not three. They write "extras" without a count, which leaves the extras casting director guessing. They leave the notes box empty when it's the only place to flag a minor on set, a cover set option, or a lit cigarette at a fuel pump.
Where the sheet goes next
The 1st AD converts every sheet into a strip on the stripboard, then into the shooting schedule, where each day lists the full element detail pulled from these sheets. Department heads use the same sheets for the prop list and wardrobe breakdown. You can download a blank script breakdown sheet template, or generate sheets from a parsed script with script analysis.