SceneItAll Docs

Breakdown

Work with breakdown elements

Elements are the building blocks of a scene breakdown — every prop, costume, vehicle, cast member, or special effect a scene needs is tracked as an element. This article covers how to tag, create, edit, merge, link, and remove elements.

Before you start

  • You have a scene open in the scene detail view, or the Elements tab open in the breakdown overview.
  • You have edit access. Project Owners and Admins must first turn on Edit mode. Only Owners and Admins can add or remove breakdown elements.

Tag an existing element to a scene

When an element already exists in your project, tag it to the current scene:

  1. In the scene detail view’s Elements tab, expand the element type’s section and select its + button.
  2. The Add Element to Scene dialog opens with a searchable list of project elements.
  3. Type in the Search elements… field, select a type chip, or use the filters in the Character #, Name, Type, and Quantity headings. Character results follow their production number (2 before 10), with unnumbered Characters last.
  4. Optionally set the quantity for this scene. Characters do not show a Quantity field because one Character tag always represents one Character.
  5. Select Tag next to the element.

Elements already tagged to the scene show a checkmark instead of a Tag button, so you cannot add one twice.

Create a new element

When the script mentions something not yet in your project, create it. You can create and tag in one step from the Add Element to Scene dialog, or create an element on its own from the Elements tab.

Create and tag from a scene

  1. In the Add Element to Scene dialog, select Create New Element to expand the inline form.
  2. Enter the Element name (up to 255 characters), pick a type, and set Quantity when the type is not Characters.
  3. Select Create & Add.

The element is created in your project and tagged to the current scene immediately.

Create an element from the Elements tab

  1. On the Elements tab of the breakdown overview, select Add Element.
  2. In the Create Element dialog, fill in:
    • Name (required).
    • Type.
    • Description (optional).
    • Key element to flag it as a hero or featured element.
  3. Select Create.

This adds the element to your project library without tagging it to a scene.

When the type is Characters, SceneItAll assigns the smallest unused positive project number. Combined labels appear as #1 — CHARACTER NAME. That number belongs to the Character; assigning one Cast member copies it downstream. A Cast member can be assigned to one Character, and a Character to one Cast member.

Edit an element

To change an element everywhere it is used, edit it from the Elements tab:

  1. Select an element to open its read-only detail panel.
  2. Review its description and Appears in N scenes list. Select a scene row to jump to that scene.
  3. As an Owner or Admin, select Edit in the panel.
  4. Edit Name, Type, Description, or the Key element flag, then select Save. (Save stays disabled until you change something.)

Edits to an element’s name or type apply everywhere it is used, across every scene.

Edit an element in one scene

From a scene’s Elements tab, select the ⋮ on an element tag. The Edit element dialog opens directly with:

  • Name — changes the project element everywhere it is used.
  • Quantity — applies only to this scene.
  • Tag notes — apply only to this scene.
  • Key item — emphasizes this element in production reports for this scene.

Change one or more fields and select Save once. Save stays disabled until you make a valid change. Long-pressing an element tag opens the same editor.

Reports are snapshots, so refresh a report to pull through the latest breakdown changes.

Merge duplicate elements

When the same real-world item was entered under different names (for example, “Police Radio” and “Walkie-Talkie”), merge them:

  1. On the Elements tab, select the duplicate elements.
  2. Open the Merge Elements dialog.
  3. Select the element to keep. The names of the other selected elements are renamed to match it.
  4. Select Merge.

A success toast appears with an Undo option in case you merged the wrong elements.

Merging is a rename-only operation. The names of the other elements change to match the one you kept, but their scene associations and links are not moved — so the elements you merged stay in their scenes under the new shared name. Undo is available for a limited time after the merge.

Element links record that two elements belong together (for example, a prop that always appears with a specific costume):

  1. Open the Links — element dialog for an element.
  2. Existing links are listed, each with a remove control.
  3. To add a link, type in the Search elements to link… field, then select Link next to the element.
  4. To remove a link, select the X next to it.

Move elements to another category

To change the type of one or more elements at once, select them on the Elements tab and open the Move to Category dialog. Pick the target category and confirm; the elements’ type and color update.

Remove an element from a scene

To untag an element from the current scene without deleting it from the project:

  1. In the scene detail Elements tab, find the element’s tag.
  2. Select the X on the tag.

The element stays in your project and in every other scene where it is tagged.

Reference: what an element carries

FieldWhat it is
NameThe element’s name. Required, up to 255 characters.
TypeOne of the 26 element types. Sets the element’s color. See the element type reference.
DescriptionOptional free text.
Key elementA flag marking the element as a hero or featured element.