Script breakdown or scene breakdown is a key part of the pre-production process in the film production. This task is usually done by the producer or first assistant director in the production but for film producers, film directors and film screenwriters, they usually have knowledge of breaking down a script. Fitryan G. Dennisthe (2010) has argued that script breakdown is the description of each scene in the script becomes a list containing a number of information about everything needed for shooting. These lists become the basic in creating a production board, which is needed to create a production schedule budget in an entire production in any film or television program in pre-production. Script breakdown is highlighting and listing the elements in each scene as written after separating and numbering each scene in a script. (Frank Dellario, 2017). A script breakdown element need to produce a specific scene, such as casts, props, costumes, hair and makeup, vehicles, stunts, special effects or equipment, sound effect or music. Studiobinder defined a script breakdown as an important filmmaking process that identify all the script elements needed to prep, schedule and budget a film production. Script breakdown will help each department to determine the technical and creative requirements. Script breakdown is a needed step towards starting the production, not just a suggestion. Script breakdown is no joke. This task is boring, complicated and intimidate depends on the level complicated of the script.
Once every element identified and broken down for every scene, that information will be used to create production budget that will be divided between the different departments, stripboard or production board, shooting schedule, shot lists and storyboards. A script breakdown sheet is one page or more from the scene breakdown and each breakdown sheet corresponds to just one scene in the film. The script breakdown sheet usually has a categories boxes where each one containing a list of elements in a category where all the different elements and information were listed for that scene. Heru Effendy in his book, Mari Membuat Film – Panduan Menjadi Produser has explained that in the breakdown sheet will contains date, script version date, production company, breakdown page number, title or number of episodes, page count, location or set, scene number, int/ext, day/night, description, cast, wardrobe, extras/atmosphere, make-up or hair-do, extras or silent bits, vehicles or animals, props, set dressing, greenery, stunts or stand ins, sound effect or music, security, estimated production time, special effect, special equipment, production notes and estimated number of set-ups. These breakdown sheets were then handed to the prop master, head makeup artist, head hairdresser, casting director, stunt coordinator, head greensperson, head of special/visual effects and other department heads so that they have no problem to create, manage and place them when the time for shoot comes by either renting, buying, or even creating and will determine what those are going to cost the production.
Peter Rea and David K. Irving (2015) said that breaking down the script before a shooting schedule can be devised, up to now, the emphasis has been on making the structure and the dialogue of the story work. Script breakdown develop an?understanding of?the script that will be necessary for answering the thousands of questions that will come up during production. Any uncertain conditions and involvement of? a complex shoot can be deal productively when the script is well understanding. Script breakdown also relates to the shooting schedule. During breaking down the script, logistical decisions will be make about which scenes will be shot together, which scenes will require new camera set-ups, how much shooting will be done during the day and how much at night and so on. With the efficient schedule, the production will be better prepared and cost-effective. In the scene breakdown sheet, one of the first element categories is cast. Not all the cast needed in one scene. There may be a scene to shoot a close-up angle and only need one or a limited number of actors. It can cut the crew and save a day on certain people. Script breakdown will help to wisely pick and choose the dates to bring in the actors and their preferred hair, makeup and wardrobe person or even an assistant. It can cut cost when no need more rental cars, bigger trailers or more heads to feed at catering. Next, characters who do not speak in the entire film are usually extras. They are the people in the back of a shot, citizens of the cast members’ world. Extras can be divided into subcategories, such as atmosphere, which refers to a crowd and featured extras, characters who interact within a scene, but who do not have any real importance to the story. So, when breaking down a script, differentiate between these types of extras so it will be easier for the production crews.
For costumes or wardrobes, if a specific piece of clothing is unusual or hard to find, it may be useful to list it separately in the breakdown, as it may be important information for budgeting or even scheduling. Next, special equipment is any piece of hardware or otherwise, which do not normally have from day-to-day in the package. This could be a 24 frame sync box for shooting a CRT TV, the actor’s triple pop-out trailer, camera vehicles such as dollies or camera-toting ATVs or any special gear needed to get a shot for that scene. So, need to bring in a specialist for a shot or additional crew to augment the regular crew. They are also needed people on-set in some situations. Doing the script breakdown will give an idea when and where these people may be needed.
Script breakdowns also give important results in the production. Breaking down the script tells the production crews what is needed for each scene and automatically generate a productive production crews. Production crews always works better if they know where they’re going and what’s expected of them. For characters, breaking down the script will translates into the right wardrobe & make-up on the right day, so, the characters has the confidence to focus on their performance and not the distractions around them. Script breakdown also help to smooth the shooting. Breaking down the script will just get more done, stay out of overtime and save more money.
(Jsmith, 2017)
To conclude, Frank Dellario (2017) said that script breakdown is important because our lens sees outward in an ever-expanding cone and we want to control, to the best of our ability, everything in that cone, so that it helps in telling our story vs hindering it. This breakdown will communicate to the various departments of the crew what they will need for each scene so they can make, manage and place them when the time comes. Breakdown script will help to determine what those needs are going to cost the production budget. The amount of work that done in preproduction will help immeasurably when it comes time to shoot. Script breakdown will ensure the production have the right elements on set at the right time.
