Segments
Last updated
Last updated
Each episode consists of segments that are all linked to one another. Segments contain all of the information regarding the setting, characters, action, dialogue and other elements of the screenplay.
In order to create a segment click the “Segment” icon on the upper right corner of the screen and select “Insert Segment” and an empty segment will be inserted into the episode that is chosen at the time.
Segments can also be created through “Document ▸ Insert ▸ Segment” in the Menu Bar.
There are two possibilities in creating segment identifiers. The first one is to manually click the top right corner of a segment (on “no ID”) and insert the text.
Another option to create segment identifiers is using the “Autogen Identifiers” found under “Document” in the Menu Bar. This function automatically generates numerical identifiers for all existing segments. Segment identifiers can always be manually altered.
If at any point a segment is given an identifier (containing a numerical value) the program will give the consecutive segments increasing identifiers (ex. If the highest value is “201” or “201-A”, the computer will assign “202” or “202-A” to the next added segment, however if the given value is just “A”, then the next segment inserted will not have identifiers automatically assigned).
Segments contain essential information pertaining to the script such as the Scene Heading, Action, Character, Parenthetical, Dialogue, Transition and Shot. These different sections each have their distinctive formats that can be applied through “Edit ▸ Format” in the Menu Bar or through the “Style” box in the upper middle part of the screen, located directly under the document title.
It is also possible to format any part of the text within the segments, with the options of Bold, Italic or Underline styles. This can be done through “Document ▸ Format” in the Menu Bar.
Segments are linked by dragging an arrow from one to the other. The Episode box must also be linked to a segment. The arrows are generated through dragging the mouse from the half circle under the Segment boxes, or through from a Button box. Conditional Branch Points are also linked in the same manner.
The arrows must be dragged to either the top, right or left edges of the box, as it is not possible to attach one segment box to the corners or the bottom of another one.
If two Segment boxes (or Buttons) cannot be linked, the arrow will be shown as a dotted red line. In order to fix this, the user must find an alternative place to link the arrow, change the horizontal positioning of the segment, or widen the grid space between segments so a link can be established.
The fractional value seen on the bottom right corner of each segment is indicative of the page length and duration of that segment (ex. If the value reads 1/8p, it means that the segment is one eighth of a page). One page is one minute and if there are more than 27 lines (1 full page is taken as 54 lines), the segment is considered as a full page.
