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FINAL DRAFT 9
Page 179
Script - Speed View
Choose Speed View to display mode the text of the script as if it were a single, continuous page, which means more
of the text appears on screen. Speed View looks like Normal View but without any of the active components. See
Script - Speed View for more information.
Index Card Panel
The Index Card panel is designed to approximate a common way scripts are developed, structured and annotated.
Each card represents one scene.
A scene is defined as extending from the first letter of a scene heading to the last possible punctuation mark or letter
before the next general, scene heading or transition element.
Cards are ordered in a left-to-right, top-to-bottom fashion. This section describes functionality that is specific to the
Index Card panel. For discussion of functionality common to both the Index Card panel and the Scene panel see
Scene Panels and Index Card Panels.
The top line of each card contains the scene’s scene heading, scene number (if any) and page number. Cards
(scenes) may be added in both Index Cards views and the number of columns of cards viewed at any time may be
changed. Index Cards may be viewed along with the Script (see following).
Most functions and commands that are used to write or edit the script are not available in the Index Card panel. You
must be in the Script panel to access them.
Index Card Panel Display Modes
The Index Card panel has two display modes, Summary and Script, which simulate the two sides of a physical index
card. The Summary display is blank initially and available for you to type in notes pertaining to the scene.
The Script side contains some of the script text from that scene.
To change the display mode of an Index Card panel, go to the View menu and choose Index Cards - Script or Index
Cards - Summary.
- or Control + click the mouse on any card and choose Script View or Summary View from the context menu.
Summary Cards
In addition to the scene heading, scene number and page number, the Summary cards contain any notes you've
written pertaining to the scene.
Example: A useful Summary card might contain this text (without quotes): "Bob confronts Sue about the secret
documents." This is a concise description of the story beat or plot point conveyed in this scene. Additional notes
about what happens in the scene may also be added.
Creating a set of Summary cards with one story beat or plot point per card may be a good way to structure a
script, before you go to pages. Arranging and rearranging the cards until your story is exactly where you want it can
mean less rewriting time.
To add summary text to an Index Card
1. Click once in the summary area of an Index Card.
The cursor appears in the summary text area of the Index Card.