So you’re done with development and ready for pre-production. Congrats! Now it’s time to breakdown your script. Why do we do this? It helps you plan for every detail needed for production. You don’t want to show up on set only to realize a prop isn’t there, someone’s costume didn’t arrive, etc.
Breaking down a script takes each scene of a screenplay and categorizes each item in order to assign to proper departments. Is it wardrobe? Props? Production design?
On a typical film the 1st AD (1st Assistant Director) is responsible for script breakdown. But in the land of independent film, it’s often the director executing the task.
Script pages are viewed in 1/8s. If you’re discussing a scene with a department head, you wouldn’t say it’s just over a page, you’d say it’s a page and 2/8s, etc.
One page of script typically translates into one minute of screen time, so dividing the pages into 8ths provides extra precision. Some people might even get a ruler out and divide pages into one inch sections. That’s hard core — whatever works best for you. Just be aware of the process.
It’s time to print your script and grab highlighters. This is how you identify all the things that need to be addressed by different departments. With an indie film we are often all departments, but this is still crucial for proper planning. Here are common things you’ll identify in your break down:
There is no official color chart, so you can come up with your own. Just assign a color value to each specific item in your script. For example, if you assign GREEN to locations, then every part of the script that requires a specific location will need a green underline.
*Note: Some parts you will be underlining with more than one color. That’s normal.
The final step is to fill out a script breakdown sheet for each scene. On the sheet you’ll list the scene number, location and other important items identified in step 2. I’ve attached a script breakdown sheet PDF that’ll get you going.
Remember, once we move out of development, a scene refers to a physical location. In development a single scene might span multiple locations, but for pre-production and on, it changes. This is because the script has now morphed into the blue print, and we’re planning our shoot based on locations.
Now you can distribute the breakdown sheets to appropriate department heads so everyone knows what they need to do during pre-production. The breakdown sheets also assist during production to ensure all people, props, costuming and production design are ready for each day of shooting.
So that’s it! Now you know how to breakdown a script, which is a crucial pre-production task that will save you a lot of stress once production hits.
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