# Free Screenplay Table Read Time Planner > Estimate a cast table-read session from dialogue and action word counts, then tune reading pace, directions, setup, breaks, and scene timing. Estimate a cast table-read session from dialogue and action word counts, then tune reading pace, directions, setup, breaks, and scene timing. Opens as a new Plot project once you sign in or create a free account. Inkwell keeps this copy for 24 hours. Table-read plan ready. Estimated room time 10 min. ## Tune the room, not the screenplay Reading pace varies by cast, performance, and discussion. Adjust the assumptions to get a planning range; this does not predict finished screen runtime. Dialogue pace135 wpm Measured Brisk Read action directions aloud Direction pace120 wpm Room setup minutes Break every Break length Planned room time ## 10 min Likely planning range: 10 min–11 min - Read-through <1 min - Setup 10 min - Breaks 0 × 10 min - Readers 2 ### Draft run-of-show 1. Scene 1 INT. COMMUNITY RADIO STATION - NIGHT <1 min 15 dialogue · 19 direction words About 10 min elapsed 2. Scene 2 EXT. RADIO TOWER - LATER <1 min 17 dialogue · 11 direction words About 10 min elapsed ### Reader load Spoken time only, at the selected dialogue pace. 1. LEAH<1 min 2. OMAR<1 min Useful output, not a score ## What this tool gives you ### Transparent time range See a fast-to-slow planning range based on editable dialogue and direction reading speeds. ### Scene run-of-show Estimate each scene's read time and cumulative position so breaks and room bookings are easier to place. ### Reader load Compare approximate spoken time for the most dialogue-heavy characters before assigning or scheduling readers. ## How to use it 1. 1 ### Add Fountain text Paste a full draft or selected scenes. The browser counts dialogue and action separately. 2. 2 ### Set the room assumptions Adjust dialogue pace, decide whether directions are read aloud, and add setup and break time. 3. 3 ### Copy the run sheet Use the planning range, scene timings, and reader load to book the room and share a practical schedule. ## How to read the result This estimates table-read room time, not finished film runtime. Performance choices, discussion, introductions, and pauses can move the session beyond the calculated range, so keep the editable buffer that fits your group. ## Questions writers ask ### Is this the same as the one-page-per-minute rule? No. Page count is a rough screen-runtime convention with wide variation. This planner uses actual dialogue and action word counts to estimate a live read-through, then adds explicit setup and breaks. ### What dialogue pace should I choose? Start near 130–140 words per minute for a natural read, then move slower for rehearsal, unfamiliar material, or frequent discussion and faster for a polished cast. ### Should action directions be read aloud? Include directions for story clarity and early development; omit or shorten them when the cast already knows the material and dialogue flow is the focus. ## Defined in the glossary - [Table Read](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/table-read) [A table read is a reading of a script aloud by actors seated around a table, before or during production. Writers and producers use it to hear the dialogue, check pacing and find what confuses or loses the room before the script is shot.](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/table-read) - [Dialogue](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/dialogue) [The words characters speak in a story, play or film. In a screenplay each speech sits under the speaker's name in a narrow centered column; in Plot, a dialogue pass proposes tighter lines you accept or reject one at a time.](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/dialogue) - [Action](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/action) [The descriptive prose of a screenplay — what the audience sees and hears, written in present tense. Also called description.](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/action) ## Keep working with the draft ### [Free Screenplay Rehearsal Sides Builder](https://www.inkwell.software/tools/rehearsal-sides-builder) [Create actor-ready rehearsal sides from Fountain: filter by character, select exact scenes, include directions, or mask the role's lines for cue practice.](https://www.inkwell.software/tools/rehearsal-sides-builder) [Open tool](https://www.inkwell.software/tools/rehearsal-sides-builder) ### [Free Screenplay Analyzer](https://www.inkwell.software/tools/screenplay-analyzer) [Analyze scene pacing, dialogue/action balance, character share, and locations from a Fountain screenplay—privately in your browser, with free CSV reports.](https://www.inkwell.software/tools/screenplay-analyzer) [Open tool](https://www.inkwell.software/tools/screenplay-analyzer) ### [Free Writing Deadline & Word Goal Planner](https://www.inkwell.software/tools/writing-goal-planner) [Turn a word-count or page goal into realistic writing-day targets, weekly pacing, buffer time, milestone dates, and a copyable schedule.](https://www.inkwell.software/tools/writing-goal-planner) [Open tool](https://www.inkwell.software/tools/writing-goal-planner) Continue in Plot and keep writing, with the screenplay formatting done for you. 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