A Guide to Script Breakdowns

What is a Script Breakdown?

A script breakdown is an essential skill for any filmmaker to have in their arsenal that gives you all of the details you need in order to produce your script. The script will be broken down into manageable chunks only after a final draft has been completed and confirmed. Breaking down your script can be a tedious process, but it is an important step in the production process. This part of the process is when you make sure that you know what is in the script so that you can translate that into a list for production. A script breakdown is an analysis of the script that helps you identify any of these elements that would be involved in production. This is called “tagging,” when you label an element in a scene. 

Breakdowns happen at the scene level and are continued throughout the full script until the entire project has been broken down. In the film industry, it is typically a producer that does a basic breakdown of the script, but then the 1st AD creates a more comprehensive breakdown. If you are an independent filmmaker or working in a smaller crew, you may have to take on more responsibilities and do this breakdown yourself! To get even more specific, each department can have their own departmental script breakdowns that help them guide their own teams. 

While breakdowns tell you the detailed versions of each scene, they are also used to generate a shooting schedule, shot lists, and stripboards. They help the producers determine the budget and the production schedule. The old-Hollywood way to make a script breakdown is done by hand and on paper, but today we have technology that allows us to do this in a more efficient manner. 

What Is An Element? 

Before you begin the process of tagging elements in your script, you need to know what to tag. Here is a list of common elements that you will need to identify, tag, and assign to appropriate breakdown categories: 

• Cast/Characters

• Extras

• Props

• Set dressing

• Costumes

• Makeup

• Vehicles

• Stunts

• Special effects or VFX

• Livestock

• Sound

• Music

• Special equipment 

How to Breakdown a Script

Now that you know what a script breakdown is and how it will help you throughout production, here is how to start the process. 

1. Read the Script From an Audience Perspective

The first step is to read the script as if you are a viewer. Reading the script from an audience’s perspective allows you to get a “first impression” of the content. You will gain a more emotional connection to the story and become more familiar with it. The more familiar you are with your script, the more likely you are to catch all of the elements during your breakdown.

2. Format and Finalize 

Next, you want to make sure that you have formatted your script correctly. This is really important if you plan on using a breakdown or scheduling software. Any hiccups you might have on the page could translate into errors throughout the rest of the process, so look over the script once more to ensure that there are no errors. 

3. Notate Scene Lengths

In this next step you begin to get to the real script breakdown. Working through the script scene-by-scene, you will divide each page into 8ths. The standard of measurement will give you 8 one-inch segments of the page. This helps you determine how much shooting time is needed for each scene by counting how many 8ths are in each scene. Shooting time really depends on the type of film you are making, the size of the budget, locations, and the amount of elements that are required for the scene. 

A typical dialogue-heavy independent production can shoot roughly five pages of the screenplay per day, but that number is going to change from set to set. For example, a musical performance may only be one line in the script, but it could take 2-3 minutes of screen time. Remember to be conscious of the amount of screentime ratio with the page count if you have a musical performance in your script. 

4. Identify Production Elements

This is when you start tagging, tallying, and keeping track of all of your elements. The bulk of the script breakdown is done completing this step. In this step, you mark each item or element (cast, extras, props, costumes, etc.) for later reference. This is traditionally done by hand with highlighters and colored pencils. Each category is assigned a different color or type of marking so that everything stays organized and consistent. For example, if you were to assign the color red to stunts, you would mark every appearance of a stunt in the script with the color red, either by highlighting it, circling it, or underlining it. Depending on how you like to work, you can work on this step and the previous step together. Notating scene lengths and tagging elements work hand in hand. 

5. Create Breakdown Sheets

This step of generating script breakdown reports is critical, though straightforward. In this part of the process you are creating a scene inventory in which you take all of the information you gathered in the previous steps and put it all together into separate documents for each scene. As you do this, be as thorough as possible. The more detail you provide now, the easier production will be later down the line. Remember that the whole point of making a script breakdown is to gather all the information you need for production in one easy-to-access place. Inaccuracies and mistakes can cause bigger problems in the future, so be sure to be meticulous and double check your work. 

6. Put Your Breakdown to Use

The last step is to use the breakdown that you worked so hard to complete! Once the breakdown is finished, you can use it to create a shooting schedule, determine your budget, and support the creation of other production planning documents. 

Helpful Tools

Making a script breakdown can become confusing or overwhelming, especially if you are new to the process. To help lighten the load, you can use breakdown guides and softwares that help you throughout the process. Here are some free breakdown templates that may be a helpful resource to consult: 

• Studio Binder Breakdown Template

• Studio Binder Breakdown Software

• Wrapbook Breakdown Template