Why PDF is the safest format for a shooting script
If the script is locked and pages are already out to departments, a PDF export is the format to bring in. Storiara keeps the uploaded file as-is and shows it in the Script & Breakdown View, so page 47 in Storiara is page 47 on the 1st AD's copy. Word and Final Draft imports get a fresh PDF generated from their text, which can paginate differently.
What Storiara reads from the PDF
The importer pulls the text layer out of every page and rebuilds lines from the position of each word. Scene detection then follows the same rules as the other formats. A line starting with INT, EXT, EST, I/E, or INT/EXT opens a new scene, a leading scene number like "42 INT. GARAGE - NIGHT" is allowed, and the heading sets INT or EXT, the set name, and Day or Night. The AI pass then writes scene descriptions and pulls characters, extras, locations, props, wardrobe, and effects.
How eighths are measured
When the script opens in the Script & Breakdown View, Storiara finds each scene heading on the page, divides the page height into eight bands, and notes the band the heading falls in (counting from the top, starting at 0). A scene's length runs from its heading to the next one.
Here is a worked example. Scene 18's heading sits about 30% of the way down page 12, which puts it in band 2 (0.30 x 8 = 2.4, rounded down). Scene 19's heading is 70% down page 13, band 5 (0.70 x 8 = 5.6). Scene 18 therefore runs 8 - 2 = 6 eighths on page 12 plus 5 eighths on page 13, 11 eighths in all, which shows as 1 3/8 pages.
A scene never measures less than 1/8. The last scene in the script runs to the bottom of its page. These values are saved to the scene and show up on the Scenes list and on breakdown sheets. You can still type over them, which is worth doing for a scene that shares a heading line with a page break. The page eighths glossary entry covers the convention itself, and the page count calculator does the same arithmetic by hand.
For the budget, Storiara counts PDF pages starting from the first page with a scene heading, so a title page and cast page don't pad the count.
Importing a PDF script
- Export the script to PDF from your writing app rather than scanning a printed copy.
- Go to My Stories and click Create Your Story.
- On the Scripted Content card, click Upload Script (.pdf, .docx) and select the PDF, or drop it on the card.
- When PDF Processed Successfully appears, click Analyze.
- On Approve Story Details, confirm Title, Genre, and Tags, and click Approve & Continue.
- Open the Script & Breakdown View tab on the right edge of the screen once scenes appear, so page counts get calculated from the file.
Limits
- Scanned or image-only PDFs have no text layer, so nothing can be extracted.
- Revision marks (asterisks in the margin) and colored pages aren't treated as revisions. A new draft goes in as a new script version.
- Scenes in Storiara are numbered in script order. Printed scene numbers on the PDF are not copied over.
- Up to 1,000,000 characters of text, and no export back to your writing app.
Troubleshooting
- "PDF Text Too Short" almost always means a scanned file. Try selecting a line of dialogue in a PDF reader. If you can't, go back to the writing app and export again.
- If you see "No Scene Headings Detected", your headings may not start with INT. or EXT., or the PDF has headings drawn as images. You can continue and add scenes on the Scenes page.
- Blank page counts on the Scenes list usually mean the script panel hasn't loaded the PDF yet. Open the Script & Breakdown View and give it a moment.
- A "PDF Processing Failed" message can come from a password-protected or damaged file. Remove the password and export a clean copy.
- If the PDF prints scene numbers that don't run 1, 2, 3 (omitted scenes, A-scenes), a few page counts can attach to the wrong scene, because Storiara tries printed numbers first when matching headings. Spot-check those scenes against the script and correct the pages by hand.