A filled-in strip
On paper boards a strip was a narrow card read vertically. In software and printouts it is usually a horizontal row. Here is one from a fictional feature:
| Sc. | I/E | Set | D/N | Pgs | Cast | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | EXT | PARKING GARAGE, LEVEL 3 | N | 1 3/8 | 1, 3, 7 | Maya chases Joe to his car |
Because it is EXT and night, the strip is green on a standard board. The cast column shows ID numbers, and those numbers match the cast list across the top of the board (1 is always the lead). Reading "1, 3, 7" tells the AD that Maya, Joe, and the security guard all need to be called that day without looking anything up.
Where strips come from
Each breakdown sheet produces one strip. The scene number, INT/EXT, and day/night come from the slugline, the page count is measured in eighths, and the cast IDs come from the elements tagged on the sheet. If the breakdown missed a character who speaks one line, the strip will miss them too, and that actor won't show up on the call sheet. That is the most common way a strip goes wrong.
Splitting and special strips
A scene that shoots across two days gets split into two strips. If scene 42 runs 1 3/8 pages and the chase ending (3/8 page) shoots with second unit on another night, you get 42 pt. 1 at 1 page and 42 pt. 2 at 3/8. The two parts must add back to the original: 8/8 + 3/8 = 11/8, which is 1 3/8.
Not every line on a board is a scene. A day break marks the end of a shoot day, and a banner strip carries a note such as a company move or a holiday. Those don't have page counts or cast, so they are easy to tell apart.
Mistakes to watch
People sometimes put character names on the strip instead of IDs, which makes the board unreadable once it holds 120 scenes. Another problem is a strip whose page count doesn't match the current script revision after new pages come out. When blue or pink pages arrive, re-measure the affected scenes before reordering anything. The page count calculator is handy for re-adding totals, and the script breakdown sheet template shows the fields a strip draws on.