# Scene number Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/scene-number Last updated: 2026-09-14 Author: Nick Harty, Storiara > A scene number is the number assigned to each scene heading when a script goes into production, printed in both margins beside the heading. Once the script is locked, the numbers stay fixed: new scenes get letter suffixes such as 42A, and cut scenes stay in place marked OMITTED. ## What it looks like on the page The number sits in both margins, level with the heading: ``` 42 EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT 42 Rain hammers the pumps. MAYA pulls up to pump 4. ``` Final Draft and the other common screenwriting programs add numbers from a menu and can lock them, so a later edit produces 42A and leaves everything after scene 42 alone. ## Why the number is an ID Everyone downstream uses the scene number as an address. The [breakdown sheet](https://storiara.com/glossary/breakdown-sheet) for 42 lists its elements; the [strip](https://storiara.com/glossary/strip) for 42 sits on the board for shoot day 11; the call sheet for day 11 lists scene 42; the [slate](https://storiara.com/glossary/slate) reads "42" and a setup letter; the [lined script](https://storiara.com/glossary/lined-script) and [script supervisor's report](https://storiara.com/glossary/script-supervisor-report) track coverage under 42; the editor bins footage under 42. If a rewrite renumbered scenes, scene 42 would suddenly mean two different things across a stack of paperwork and hard drives. That is why production numbering follows a few fixed rules once the [script is locked](https://storiara.com/glossary/locked-script): | Change in revision | What happens to the numbers | |---|---| | New scene after 42 | becomes 42A (then 42B, 42C) | | New scene before scene 1 | becomes A1 | | Scene 57 deleted | "57 OMITTED" stays on the page | | Scenes 60 and 61 merged | "60-61" or 61 marked OMITTED | | Another new scene between 42A and 43 | becomes 42B | See [A-scenes](https://storiara.com/glossary/a-scenes) and [omitted scene](https://storiara.com/glossary/omitted-scene) for how each case looks on the page. ## Scene numbers and secondary headings What counts as a numbered scene depends on the [slugline](https://storiara.com/glossary/slugline). Each master scene heading gets a number. Secondary headings inside a scene, like "KITCHEN" or "LATER", usually don't, though some writers number them and some ADs prefer that for scheduling. Decide before numbering, because a script where a chase through six rooms is one scene schedules differently from one where it's six. ## Common confusion Scene numbers are not shot numbers. A single scene can need a dozen setups (42, 42A, 42B on the slate in the lettered-setup system), and those letters are camera setups, which is different from an A-scene in the script. The [script supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/script-supervisor) keeps the two straight. Our [scene numbering rules](https://storiara.com/blog/scene-numbering-rules) post walks through edge cases, and [script analysis](https://storiara.com/feature/script-analysis) reads existing numbers from an uploaded PDF. ## Frequently asked questions ### When do you add scene numbers to a script? When the script becomes a production draft. Spec scripts sent to agents and contests shouldn't have scene numbers. Numbering happens when the production is ready to break down, budget, and schedule. ### Do scene numbers change after a rewrite? Not after the script is locked. A new scene between 42 and 43 becomes 42A, and a deleted scene keeps its number with OMITTED written beside it, so every schedule, strip, and slate that references a number stays correct. ### Does the scene number go on the slate? Yes. The slate usually shows scene number, setup letter, and take, such as 42B take 3. That is how the editor and script supervisor match footage to the lined script. ### Why do some scripts skip the letters I and O in scene numbers? Scene 12I looks like 121 and 12O looks like 120 on a slate or a camera report, so many productions skip those letters when adding inserts.