CINAMATE

Develop

Import and break down a screenplay

Import a screenplay into Studio, verify scene parsing, and build clips, characters, and locations.

Choose the correct import route

Studio’s file picker accepts .txt, .pdf, and .fdx. Paste script opens the screenplay editor for text copied from Fountain or another source. Producer’s Add script is a separate shortcut that accepts pasted text, .txt, or .fountain; PDF and Final Draft files belong in Studio. File import replaces the current breakdown immediately.

  1. Open Studio and choose Import Script, or choose Paste script.
  2. For flattened pasted text, choose Unflatten before parsing.
  3. Confirm the first and last scene and the total scene count.
  4. Save a project copy before replacing a breakdown with significant hand edits.

Review extraction limits

PDF import reconstructs text from the PDF text layer; image-only scans need OCR elsewhere first. Final Draft import keeps scene headings, action, character, dialogue, parentheticals, and transitions, while other paragraph types can be omitted. The absence of an error does not prove a clean parse.

Verify headings and scene numbers

Normal scenes should begin with an INT., EXT., EST., or supported combined token and include a location. Studio also accepts selected treatment-style and numbered headings, but those can create literal locations such as MONTAGE or FLASHBACK. Printed A-scenes such as 4A are preserved. Check time-of-day tails before scheduling.

Inspect clips, characters, and locations

Parsing creates clips from scene action and dialogue, a character list from cues and introductions, and a location bible from headings. Add a missing character manually. Syncing the location bible rebuilds it and can remove hand-entered locks, reference plates, and consistency phrases, so settle the script first.

Edit with the screenplay as the record

To split a scene, add a new slugline in the screenplay editor and re-parse. To merge scenes, remove the later slugline and re-parse. Re-parse warns before rebuilding clips that may contain generated video. Clip-level edits and inspector settings do not write back into the screenplay and can be replaced by a later parse.