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Write a take of a scene

Open an alternate version of one scene beside the original, compare the two side by side, and keep the one that works.

1 min readUpdated

A take is an alternate version of a single scene. Where a draft line branches the whole script, a take stays inside the scene: the rest of the document is shared, and the two versions of the scene sit next to each other for comparison.

  1. Put the cursor in the scene

    Takes belong to a scene, so they act on the one your cursor is in. Open the draft-line switcher above the page: the takes section names that scene.

  2. Start a take

    Choose New take in that section. The scene is copied into a new take and the page switches to it. Reopen the switcher and the section lists the original and every take of the scene; choosing a row puts it on the page.

    The takes section inside the draft-line switcher (1): the original version and each take of the scene, with New take, Compare takes (2), and Promote this take.
    The takes section inside the draft-line switcher (1): the original version and each take of the scene, with New take, Compare takes (2), and Promote this take.
  3. Rewrite the scene

    Write the alternate. Everything outside the scene is the same script, so you can read into and out of it in context.

  4. Compare

    Choose Compare takes from the same section to see the original and the take side by side, with the differences marked. Switch which one is on the page from the same view.

  5. Keep one

    Promote this take replaces the scene on the current draft line with the take's version and keeps the other as history. Or leave both: a scene can carry several takes for as long as you are deciding.

What next

  • Try a draft line

    Open a parallel version of the whole script, rewrite freely, switch back and forth, and bring the better version home when you decide.

    How-to · 1 min read

  • Draft lines

    Parallel versions of the whole script: when to open one, how switching works, and how a draft line comes back to the main draft.

    Concept · 1 min read

  • Use Agent Mode for a bigger revision

    Hand the Dramaturg a goal that spans scenes, answer its questions when a choice is yours, and review what it changed on your page.

    How-to · 2 min read

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