Why Split a Scene?
Split a scene when it shoots in two blocks:
- It straddles lunch
- A company move falls in the middle of it, exterior at one location and interior at another
- You want part of it early in the day and the rest later
- On import, the schedule engine splits a scene that straddles the 6-hour lunch mark when Split long scenes for lunch is on
How to Split a Scene
To split a scene manually on the CS Front tab:
- Right-click any scene row in the scene schedule to open the context menu
- Choose 'Split Scene' from the context menu
- The scene is immediately split into two linked rows: Pt1 and Pt2
- Pages are divided evenly: Pt1 gets the ceiling half, Pt2 gets the remainder
What Gets Split
When you split a scene, here is exactly what each half inherits:
| Field | Pt1 (Original) | Pt2 (Continuation) |
|---|---|---|
| Scene Number | Unchanged (e.g. 14) | Unchanged (same as Pt1) |
| Description | Unchanged | Appended with " - CONT'D" |
| Pages | Ceiling half of total (e.g. 1 3/8 of 2 4/8) | Remainder (e.g. 1 1/8 of 2 4/8) |
| INT/EXT | Inherited | Inherited |
| Day/Night | Inherited | Inherited |
| Location | Inherited | Inherited |
| Cast | Inherited | Inherited |
| Split Group ID | Shared ID | Same shared ID |
| Split Original Pages | Total before split | Total before split |
Visual Annotations
Split rows are marked so you can see which ones are linked:
- Scene number cell: a small 'Pt1' or 'Pt2' label appears in the bottom-right corner of the cell in a muted color
- Pages cell: a small chain-link icon (Link2) appears in the bottom-right corner of the cell, indicating the page count is part of a linked pair
- The advance schedule shows the Pt1 and Pt2 labels too
Splitting a Scene
The interactive demo below shows the split. Right-click any row and split it. The demo also has page controls and a rejoin option that the CS Front does not have. On a real call sheet, change the pages by typing, as described next.
| # | Set / Description | I/E | D/N | Pgs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | INT POLICE STATION – INTERROGATION Detective Morgan reads the file again. | INT | D | 2 4/8 |
| 22 | EXT ROOFTOP – ESCAPE SEQUENCE Simone scales the fire escape fast. | EXT | N | 3 2/8 |
| 31 | INT DINER – CONFRONTATION Morgan and Simone order coffee, say nothing. | INT | D | 1 6/8 |
| 45 | EXT PARKING LOT – STANDOFF Simone blocks the exit with her car. | EXT | N | 2 0/8 |
Redistributing Pages
The split always lands at the halfway mark. To move it, type a new page count into each half. The halves stay linked, but editing one does not change the other, so do the arithmetic yourself. Scene 22 at 3 2/8 splits into 1 5/8 and 1 5/8. Shoot 2 0/8 before lunch and you type 2 0/8 into Pt1 and 1 2/8 into Pt2.
PR Scene Chips
Production Report scene chips on the PR Front tab reflect the split. Instead of a single chip labeled '22', you will see two chips: '22·Pt1' and '22·Pt2'. Each chip keeps the original scene's colour.
Splitting for Lunch
The import-time schedule engine can split a scene that straddles lunch and put the LUNCH banner between the halves: Scene 45 Pt1, LUNCH BREAK, Scene 45 Pt2. See Auto-Draft Schedule Engine. To do it by hand, split the scene, then insert a LUNCH banner between the two halves.