Why Density Matters
A 30-person commercial crew fits on one page with room to spare. A 200-person feature crew needs every row of vertical space or it spills onto another page. Density presets change row height, font size and padding so the same sheet can go either way.
Three Density Presets
The Advanced Layout panel lists three presets, from roomiest to tightest. On the CS Back they set these crew row sizes:
| Preset | Label in the panel | Row | Font | Line height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial | Elegant, spacious | 26px | 10px | 1.6 |
| Default | Standard layout | 20px | 9px | 1.4 |
| Blockbuster | Maximum density | 12px | 7.5px | 0.9, no padding |
CS Front Density
The front has its own preset, plus overrides per block. In the Layout Preview, click a block to give it a different preset: a roomy header over a tight scene schedule, for example. The blocks are Header / Topline, Key Personnel & Weather, Notices, Scene Schedule, Cast, Off-Site Cast, Stand-Ins & Dept Instructions, Background, Totals, Advance Schedule and Footer. Reset to sheet clears one block. Clear all block overrides clears them all. The front panel also sets Border Color (Grey, Black or White) and Rounded Edges (None up to 20px).
CS Back Density
The back uses one preset for the whole crew grid. The CS Back Layout panel changes row height, font, line height and padding for every department at once. The same preset also sets the PR Back and the transpo table.
Crew Capacity
The CS Back Layout panel shows an Estimated Crew Capacity for the current preset and column count, on US Legal 8.5×14″. In Blockbuster that works out to about 105 rows per column: roughly 175 crew on a 2-column layout and 280 on 3 columns.
How Settings Are Stored
Density is saved with the production, so everyone on the show sees the same layout. The CS Front and CS Back presets are separate: Default on the front and Blockbuster on the back is a common pair.
Accessing Advanced Layout
Open the floating controls panel at the top right of the CS Front or CS Back (Layout Settings when it is collapsed) and click Advanced Layout. The panel opens on the right, with the Layout Preview and the presets. It scrolls on a phone.