Mac tutorials › Breakdown
BreakdownTag words in the script as an element
Turn words in a scene into a breakdown element, for example a prop.
Before you start
- A production source is set and a scene is open.
Steps
In the script column, select the words to tag, for example by double-clicking REGISTER.
The selected words are highlighted. Tag Selection as at the top of the script turns active, and a Tag Selection button appears in the panel beside Add Element and Suggest Elements.
Control-click the selected words, then choose Tag “REGISTER” as….
The shortcut menu starts with the Tag item, followed by the usual Mac text items: Look Up, Translate, Search With Google, Cut, Copy, Paste, Paste and Match Style, Share…, Font, Spelling and Grammar, Substitutions and Speech. Cut and Paste are greyed out in the picture.
Or click Tag Selection as above the script and pick a category.
The menu lists the eleven categories: Cast, Extras / Background, Location / Set, Props, Wardrobe, Vehicles, Hair / Makeup, Special Effects, VFX, Sound and Animals.
In the Tag “Register” sheet, check Category and Name, add a note if you want one, and click Add to Scene 1.
The sheet asks: What does Scene 1 need? Pick an existing catalog item or create a new one. Category is a menu. Name is filled in from your selection and you can edit it. Catalog item shows Create new item “Register”, which says it is added to the production catalog. If the name matches an item already in the catalog, you can choose it instead. Notes (optional) takes text such as must look worn. The sheet repeats: The screenplay text is not changed; the tag marks the selected words in this scene. Cancel closes the sheet.
Look at the panel.
Register now sits under Props with a Required label and an Actions button, and the Props heading shows 1. The tagged word is underlined in the script and a coloured dot appears on the scene row. A message says Added “Register” to Scene 1. Click Undo in it to remove the element.
What you get
The words are tagged, the element is in the scene breakdown and the item is in the production catalog.
Watch out for
- If the item already exists in the catalog, pick the existing item in the Catalog item section so scenes share it. A second item with the same name makes later counts and reports harder to read.
- Tag Selection stays greyed out until you select words in the script.