Getting Started

What You Need

• A modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
• All your HTML files in the same folder on your computer
• That's it — no installation, no internet required.

Opening the Tools

1. Download all the HTML files into a single folder on your computer
2. Open Dashboard.html in your browser
3. Click any tool in the sidebar or tap a tile on the Dashboard to open it
4. Start with Script Writer — write your script first, and the rest of the tools follow from there

Recommended Workflow

The tools are designed to be used in production order, with earlier tools feeding data into later ones:

1. Write your script — Script Writer
2. Tag and break down the script — Script Tagger → Script Breakdown
3. Build your team and lock locations — Cast & Crew List → Cast Information → Location Manager
4. Plan costs and tasks — Production Budget → Task Manager
5. Prep your direction — Script Analysis → Shot List → Storyboard → Script Liner
6. Schedule the shoot — Stripboard → Day Out of Days → Call Sheet
7. On set — Script Supervisor → Camera Report → Sound Report → DIT Report → Daily Production Report
8. Wrap — Cost Report

✏️ Script

Script Writer: Write your screenplay with industry-standard formatting. Tab cycles element types (Scene Heading → Action → Character → Dialogue → Parenthetical → Transition) and Enter advances to the next expected element automatically. Scenes are auto-numbered. The saved script feeds directly into Script Tagger and Script Liner.

Script Tagger: Loads your script from Script Writer. Select any text, then click a category button (Cast, Props, Wardrobe, Set Dressing, Vehicles, SFX, VFX, etc.) to tag it with a color highlight. Breakdown sheets are generated automatically per scene. Use Export to Script Breakdown to transfer all tagged elements.

Script Liner: Annotate your script with the industry-standard colored line notation used by script supervisors and ADs. Draw horizontal lines on each scene to represent camera shots — solid lines for primary coverage, squiggly lines for secondary passes. Assign each line a shot number, size, and description. Track off-camera dialogue with the yellow indicator bar. The Sync button in the toolbar reloads an updated script from Script Writer while preserving all drawn lines. Export as a marked-up PDF.

📋 Management

Script Breakdown: Break down each scene by production element. Tracks Cast, Extras, Props, Costumes, Vehicles, Stunts, SFX, Makeup/Hair, Animals, Music, Sound FX, and VFX. Scenes can be imported from Script Tagger. Use Export to Other Documents to push scene and cast data to Stripboard, Call Sheet, and Day Out of Days.

Task Manager: Track every production task with name, status (Not Started, In Progress, Complete, On Hold, Overdue), priority (High/Medium/Low), due date, and assigned crew member. Filter by status and priority. A progress bar shows overall completion percentage. Overdue tasks are automatically flagged in red.

Production Budget: Line-item budgeting organized by Above the Line, Below the Line, Post Production, and Other. Each line item has amount, multiplier, and rate fields. Add a contingency percentage. The approved budget can be imported into Cost Report for variance tracking against actual spend.

Location Manager: Match your script's scene headings to real-world locations. Each entry stores address, alias tags, contact info, linked scenes, and a status (Pending → Scouted → Permitted → Confirmed → On Hold). Supports parent/child location grouping for multi-room venues and studio lots.

🎭 Talent & Prep

Cast & Crew List: Manage everyone on your production in separate Cast and Crew sections with contact info and role. Data feeds into Call Sheet (crew calls and cast assignments), Day Out of Days (cast work days), and is shared across all tools via the Dashboard's Project Info panel.

Cast Information: Detailed profile cards for each actor — headshot photo, physical measurements (height, weight, sizes), credits, and special skills. Print-ready PDF per actor or as a full package.

Script Analysis: Scene-by-scene character preparation. Set character super objectives that apply across the whole script. Then for each scene, drill into individual character cards with fields for blocking notes, motivations, subtext, and emotional transitions. Organized by scene with collapsible character cards and color-coded tints. PDF export.

📅 Planning & Scheduling

Stripboard: Visual shooting schedule built from colored scene strips. Scenes auto-populate from Script Breakdown via Import from Breakdown. Drag strips to reorder. Day Break strips separate shoot days and display the date. Each strip shows scene number, location, cast, page count, and estimated time. PDF export produces a full production board.

Day Out of Days: Visual grid showing which cast members work which shoot days. Auto-populates cast from Cast & Crew List and shoot days from the Stripboard. Click any cell to cycle through four statuses: W (Work), T (Travel), H (Hold), or Off. Summary columns show each actor's total Work, Travel, and Hold days. Industry-standard DOOD PDF export.

Call Sheet: Create industry-standard daily call sheets. Set the general crew call time, select the shoot date, and build the advanced schedule scene by scene. Auto-populates crew contacts from Cast & Crew List. Includes fields for weather, nearest hospital, parking info, and general notes. PDF export.

🎬 Production

Shot List: Plan every camera shot with shot number, scene, description, shot size, camera angle, movement, lens, equipment, and notes. Organized by scene. Shot data is shared with the Storyboard and can be exported to Script Supervisor.

Storyboard: Frame-by-frame visual planning linked to the Shot List. Upload images or hand-drawn sketches for each frame. Add direction notes per frame. Export as a full storyboard PDF with all frames in sequence.

Script Supervisor: Line your script for on-set coverage tracking. Draw vertical shot lines from start to end of coverage, then mark off-camera dialogue with squiggly segments. Click any drawn shot in the sidebar to log takes with G/NG ratings, duration, and camera specs (size, angle, movement, lens). Multi-day workflow with a Day Navigator — coverage and take stats accumulate across all shoot days. Exports a two-part PDF: lined script pages followed by a supervisor notes report.

Production Catalog: Catalog every physical production asset with photo, name, description, cost, and linked scenes. Organized into 13 categories: Wardrobe, Props, Set Dressing, Vehicles, Locations, Hair/Makeup, Special Effects, Animals, Weapons, Electronics, Food & Beverage, Signage, and Misc. Toggle between card view and table view.

📊 Reports

Camera Report: Log every take per media roll or card with scene, shot letter, take number, G/NG circle status, lens, and camera settings (ISO, FPS, shutter angle, f-stop, ND filter). Settings cascade to new takes automatically. Color-coded shot groups for easy reading. Per-roll PDF export. Shares take data to Script Supervisor and Daily Production Report.

Sound Report: Log every sound take per roll with slate type (Head Slate, Tail Slate, MOS), INT/EXT, input channels used, timecode, and G/NG status. Configurable recording specs (file format, sample rate, bit depth) and input channel labels. Per-roll PDF export with good-take highlighting. Shares data to Daily Production Report.

DIT Report: Track every media card for the day — ID, camera assignment, codec, capacity, data used, clip count, and backup status. Progressive backup workflow: On Card → Transferring → Backed Up → Verified → Checksummed. Assign backup drives and timecode ranges per card. Configurable checksum method and transfer software. DIT crew auto-fills from Cast & Crew List. Exports a summary to Daily Production Report.

Daily Production Report: The official end-of-day production record. Logs scenes shot, setups, pages, call times, wrap times, cast and crew counts, weather, and production notes. Auto-pulls camera, sound, and DIT summaries from their respective reports. Multi-day history with cumulative scene and page totals. PDF export.

Cost Report: Track actual expenditures against the approved budget. Import budgeted line items from Production Budget. Enter actual costs as receipts come in. Variance analysis shows over/under per category. Export as a cost report PDF for the producer and UPM.

Troubleshooting

No Cast Showing in Call Sheet

1. Open Script Breakdown — fill in the Cast field for each scene
2. Click Export to Other Documents
3. Open Cast & Crew List — click Sync Cast from Breakdown
4. Return to Call Sheet and select your shoot date

Script Not Loading in Script Liner or Script Tagger

1. Make sure you have written and saved content in Script Writer first
2. In Script Liner, click the Sync button in the toolbar to reload
3. Both tools read directly from Script Writer's auto-save — no manual export needed

Stripboard Shows No Scenes

1. Open Script Breakdown — confirm your scenes are entered
2. Click Export to Other Documents
3. Open Stripboard — click Import from Breakdown

Lost All My Data

• If you have a backup: Click Load Backup in the sidebar → select your .json backup file
• If no backup: Unfortunately the data is gone. This is why regular backups are critical!