Script Breakdown Sheet Template (Copy-Paste, No Signup)

Script Breakdown Sheet Template (Copy-Paste, No Signup)

Here's a script breakdown sheet template you can copy straight into a doc or spreadsheet: one row per scene, with columns for every standard category a 1st AD or production coordinator needs to track. It follows the same fields as the industry-standard color-coded breakdown, minus the software.

If you're not sure what a breakdown sheet even is or why it exists, start with what a script breakdown is first — this post assumes you know that and just want the template.

The template

Copy this into a spreadsheet (one tab per scene, or one long sheet with a row per scene) or a table in your doc tool of choice. Each --- block below represents one scene's worth of fields.

PRODUCTION: _____________________    BREAKDOWN PAGE #: ______
SCENE NUMBER(S): _____________________
SET / LOCATION NAME: _____________________
INT/EXT: _______     DAY/NIGHT: _______
PAGE COUNT (EIGHTHS): _______
SCENE SYNOPSIS:
_____________________________________________________________

CAST (SPEAKING):
_____________________________________________________________

BACKGROUND / EXTRAS:
_____________________________________________________________

STUNTS:
_____________________________________________________________

VEHICLES:
_____________________________________________________________

ANIMALS:
_____________________________________________________________

SPECIAL EFFECTS:
_____________________________________________________________

PROPS:
_____________________________________________________________

WARDROBE:
_____________________________________________________________

MAKEUP / HAIR:
_____________________________________________________________

SET DRESSING:
_____________________________________________________________

SOUND EFFECTS:
_____________________________________________________________

MUSIC:
_____________________________________________________________

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
_____________________________________________________________

SECURITY:
_____________________________________________________________

PRODUCTION NOTES:
_____________________________________________________________

If you'd rather work in a spreadsheet grid than a stacked field format, here's the same template as a table — scenes as rows, categories as columns:

| Scene # | Set/Location | I/E | D/N | Pages | Cast | BG | Stunts | Vehicles | Animals | SPFX | Props | Wardrobe | MU/Hair | Set Dressing | SFX (sound) | Music | Spec. Equip | Security | Notes |
|---------|--------------|-----|-----|-------|------|----|--------|----------|---------|------|-------|----------|---------|--------------|-------------|-------|-------------|----------|-------|
|         |              |     |     |       |      |    |        |          |         |      |       |          |         |              |             |       |             |          |       |

Duplicate the row/block for every scene in the script. That repetition is exactly why most productions eventually move off a spreadsheet — more on that below.

How to fill in each field

Scene number(s). Use the number exactly as it appears in the script's slug line, not a sequential count you make up. If a scene got split during revisions (2A, 2B), keep both — merging them loses schedule-relevant information. Full rules on locked numbers, revisions, and why they don't just count 1-2-3 are in scene numbers explained.

Set/location name and INT/EXT. Copy the slug line's location name verbatim so it matches your location list and stripboard strip color later — INT scenes and EXT scenes get sorted differently when you build a stripboard.

Day/Night. Straight from the slug line (DAY, NIGHT, DAWN, DUSK, CONTINUOUS). This drives crew call times and lighting package decisions, so don't guess it from the synopsis — use what the script says.

Page count (in eighths). This is the field most people get wrong on their first pass. It's not "how many pages does this scene span" — it's the fractional eighth-of-a-page count used to estimate shooting time. If you haven't measured eighths before, read what an eighth of a page is before you fill this column in; getting it wrong throws off every schedule estimate downstream.

Scene synopsis. One or two sentences, plot-neutral, focused on what physically happens (who's on screen, what they do) rather than dialogue content. "Jake confronts Maria on the fire escape" is useful; a full paragraph of narrative isn't.

The category rows (Cast through Production Notes). These map directly onto the standard breakdown color code — Cast is usually circled or highlighted yellow, Props orange, Wardrobe green, Vehicles purple, and so on depending on the studio's convention. If you're filling this in by hand from a printed script, you're literally transcribing what you circled in each color. We won't re-cover the color standard here — see script breakdown colors explained for the full list and what each color means. The short version for the template: list every distinct item under its category, one per line or comma-separated, using the same name every time it recurs (a prop called "Dad's watch" in scene 4 needs to stay "Dad's watch" in scene 40, not "gold watch" or "wristwatch").

A few categories that trip people up:

• Background/Extras — headcount and role ("6 bar patrons," not just "extras"), because this feeds background casting counts.
• Special effects vs. sound effects — SPFX means physical effects on set (squibs, rain, breakaway glass); SFX/sound effects means things added or cued in the mix or on a playback device (gunshot, phone ring). They're different departments; don't merge them into one "effects" line.
• Special equipment — anything beyond your standard grip/camera package: cranes, underwater housings, drones, process trailers.
• Production notes — a catch-all for anything that doesn't fit elsewhere: permit requirements, weather sensitivity, minor-on-set restrictions, anything the AD needs to flag before scheduling the day.

This category-by-category pass is the manual version of what how to break down a script walks through end-to-end, page by page, if you want the full process rather than just the field definitions.

Worked example

Here's one scene filled in, so you can see the level of detail each field expects:

PRODUCTION: MIDNIGHT RUN                    BREAKDOWN PAGE #: 14
SCENE NUMBER(S): 14
SET / LOCATION NAME: DINER - MAIN ROOM
INT/EXT: INT     DAY/NIGHT: NIGHT
PAGE COUNT (EIGHTHS): 2 3/8
SCENE SYNOPSIS:
Ray meets Delia at the diner counter and slides her the envelope. She counts
the cash under the table before a cop walks in.

CAST (SPEAKING): RAY, DELIA, COP #1

BACKGROUND / EXTRAS: 4 diner patrons, 1 waitress (non-speaking)

STUNTS: (none)

VEHICLES: Ray's pickup truck (parked, visible through window)

ANIMALS: (none)

SPECIAL EFFECTS: (none)

PROPS: envelope w/ cash ($2,400 prop money), 2 coffee mugs, menu, diner
check pad, Delia's cigarette lighter

WARDROBE: Ray - leather jacket (continuity from sc. 12), Delia - red coat,
Cop #1 - full uniform

MAKEUP / HAIR: Ray - light sweat sheen, Delia - smudged lipstick

SET DRESSING: neon "OPEN" sign lit, jukebox, checkered floor, booth seating

SOUND EFFECTS: diner ambience, bell on door, jukebox track (needs clearance)

MUSIC: source cue from jukebox, licensed track TBD

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: none beyond base package

SECURITY: none required

PRODUCTION NOTES: Confirm jukebox track clearance before shoot day. Cop #1
requires SAG background/day-player paperwork.

That's one scene. A feature script is 90-120 of these. Retyping this template by hand for every scene — and then keeping every prop, cast member, and location name consistent across all of them — is the part that eats a coordinator's week. Production Slate's script import reads your script (Final Draft or Fountain) and pre-populates a tagged breakdown automatically: select text in the script, tag it as a prop, a wardrobe item, or a cast member, and it rolls up into scene-by-scene and cross-scene reports without you retyping a single name.

Get the categories right, then build the schedule

Once your breakdown sheets are filled in, the cast/location/prop counts on them are what feed your one-liner schedule and your day-out-of-days report. If you'd rather skip the copy-paste template entirely, Production Slate's script breakdown does the tagging and rollups for you straight from an imported script.