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Breakdown

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Main breakdown view

A scene-by-scene table of your script with filters. Each row is a scene; you can see slugline, INT/EXT, time of day, location, character count, element count, and open the scene for detailed breakdown. This is the main hub for script breakdown: jump to any scene, filter by category or location, and open the per-scene view to add or edit elements and production notes. Click Breakdown in the project nav (the dropdown), then click Breakdown in the dropdown. Do not confuse with Elements or Reports, which are other items in the same dropdown.

1. Open the project and click Breakdown in the nav.
2. Choose Breakdown from the dropdown.
3. Use the scene table: click a row or View to open that scene’s breakdown.
4. Use filters (category, characters, locations, scenes) to narrow the list.
5. Use “Go to scene” or similar to jump from breakdown to the script or editor for that scene.

First-time users often miss that Breakdown is a dropdown. Click the word “Breakdown” to open the menu, then select Breakdown for the main table. Elements is the overview by category; Reports is where you get PDFs and production reports. See Reports for a full list of all available reports.

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Scene breakdown (per-scene)

The detailed view for one scene: slugline, INT/EXT, time of day, location, character list, script text, production notes (scene notes), and the list of breakdown elements (props, wardrobe, etc.). You can add elements by highlighting script text and tagging it, or by adding without selecting text. This is where you attach props, wardrobe, vehicles, and other elements to specific scenes and add production notes the crew will see. Open a scene from the main Breakdown table (click a row or View), or from the Script read view (scene list), or from a breakdown category page by opening a scene that has that element. Edit slugline, INT/EXT, time of day, or location inline if needed. Add or remove characters; use merge if the same character appears under different names. In the script text, highlight a phrase and use the tagging flow to create an element (e.g. prop, wardrobe) tied to that text. Or use Add Element without selecting text and fill in the details. Fill in Production notes (scene notes) if your workflow uses them. Open the Add Element panel to add more elements or change type. Use the element list to edit or delete. To change an element’s category (e.g. from Props to Set Dressing), use Change type from the element list or the item’s board; see How to change element type. “Highlight to tag” means select text in the scene, then use the modal or panel to choose category and save. “Add without selecting text” creates an element with no script range; you can add a note or label.

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Extras quantity behavior

Extras use quantity-first planning:

1. In scene breakdown, add an extras element and set quantity.
2. Spell Slate stores one extras element with that headcount.
3. On the extras board, matching extra cards are auto-seeded.
4. Progress is shown as filled/quantity.

If quantity later increases, new placeholder slots and cards are added automatically. If quantity decreases, existing cards are kept so you do not lose entered data.

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Elements (breakdown by type)

An overview of all breakdown categories: Props, Set Dressing, Costumes, Vehicles, Animals, Stunts, SFX, VFX, Makeup & Hair, Special Equipment, Extras, Camera Notes, Sound Notes, Characters, Locations. From here you open category-specific pages and boards for items, characters, and locations. Departments often work by category (e.g. “all props” or “all wardrobe”); Elements gives one place to see every category and jump to the right list or board. Breakdown dropdown → Elements. Click Breakdown in the nav, then Elements. Use the overview to see which categories have items. Click a category to open its page (table/list of items and which scenes they appear in). From a category page or from an item/character/location row, open the board for that item, character, or location to add notes, links, images, todos, or cost info. View all reports from Elements takes you to the Reports hub for breakdown and production PDFs.

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Cast IDs in the breakdown table

Every character in a scene has a colored numbered badge in the Cast ID column of the breakdown table. By default, numbers are assigned in order of appearance in the screenplay. You can change any character’s Cast ID from their character board: click the badge to open the board, then click the Cast ID field in the header to edit it. The new number appears everywhere (breakdown, stripboard, call sheet) right away. See Managing characters for full details on characters, Cast IDs, sides, and character boards. See Managing cast for assigning actors and call sheet talent.

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Breakdown category pages

One page per category plus Characters and Locations. Each page lists the elements in that category and which scenes they are in. You can add, edit, merge, and filter. Open a category from Breakdown → Breakdown (then sidebar or links) or Breakdown → Elements (then click a category). Open the category, use the table or list, add or edit elements, open boards for an item/character/location. For characters and locations, use Merge when the same person or place appears under different names. Merging keeps one primary record and moves all references to it; the other records are removed. Filters on category pages help when you have many scenes or elements. For detailed guides on each category, see: Managing characters, Managing locations, Managing extras, Managing props, Managing costumes, Managing makeup and hair, Managing vehicles. For scene boards (the board attached to each individual scene), see Managing scene boards.