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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Questions or Comments  /  SCENE numbers
Posted by: CrackedAces, April 11th, 2019, 1:30pm
Would it be a qualm if I or anyone on SS voluntarily posts their scripts with scene numbers?

I know that in spec writing this would strap the offender to a log in the saw mill, but I suggest the numbers for the critique referencing on SS only.

In my software and I’m sure that in many other brands this feature is just a mouse click.

Okay, I’m ready for the bravos or the mob dragging me into the mill.  
Posted by: AnthonyCawood, April 11th, 2019, 2:24pm; Reply: 1
You could do it, but is it a solution where there's no problem?
Posted by: Matthew Taylor, April 11th, 2019, 2:32pm; Reply: 2
Page numbers seem to work fine for that purpose

I don't know why, but I find scene numbers to be really distracting
Posted by: eldave1, April 11th, 2019, 7:57pm; Reply: 3
Wouldn't bother me I guess - but not sure what the advantage is.
Posted by: stevie, April 11th, 2019, 11:07pm; Reply: 4
Throw in some wrong slugs, a couple of irrelevant wrylies and one orphan, and no one will notice the scene numbers bro😂😂🤫
Posted by: eldave1, April 12th, 2019, 9:26am; Reply: 5

Quoted from stevie
Throw in some wrong slugs, a couple of irrelevant wrylies and one orphan, and no one will notice the scene numbers bro😂😂🤫


Nailed it
Posted by: CrackedAces, April 12th, 2019, 10:29am; Reply: 6
I'll think about the wylies after a shot or two of Tennessee Kool-Aid. ;-)
Posted by: Colkurtz8, April 12th, 2019, 10:58am; Reply: 7

Quoted from Matthew Taylor
Page numbers seem to work fine for that purpose


Agree with this.


Quoted from eldave1
Wouldn't bother me I guess - but not sure what the advantage is.


And this.


Posted by: Lon, April 13th, 2019, 3:04pm; Reply: 8
Nah.  As someone else said, that's just a solution in search of a problem.  Readers, both pro and peer alike, have been providing feedback on scripts sans scene numbers since...well, since forever.  The world wouldn't end if you included them, but there's just no need for them.
Posted by: FrankM, April 13th, 2019, 4:22pm; Reply: 9

Quoted from Lon
The world wouldn't end if you included them, but there's just no need for them.


The July OWC should revolve around the end of the world being caused by some minor formatting mistake. Tabs-versus-spaces in computer code, Oxford comma in a contract, orphans in a book, scene numbers in a screenplay, etc.
Posted by: Anon, April 14th, 2019, 1:19pm; Reply: 10
Matter of preference. I had a producer ask me to resend a script with scene numbers. It does make feedback easier when there’s multiple scenes on one page but that’s the only slight advantage I can see.
Posted by: MarkRenshaw, April 15th, 2019, 9:27am; Reply: 11
I've noticed that producers and direcors who write scripts, tend to put in the scene numbers more and it doesn't seem to affect progress in competitions at all. So add them if you want, or not. I don't think it matters.
Posted by: FrankM, April 15th, 2019, 10:00am; Reply: 12

Quoted from MarkRenshaw
I've noticed that producers and direcors who write scripts, tend to put in the scene numbers more and it doesn't seem to affect progress in competitions at all. So add them if you want, or not. I don't think it matters.


It's basically a checkbox in screenwriting software, and if it doesn't bother readers then there's likely no harm in it. If someone requests a version without scene numbers, it's easy to uncheck the box and make a new PDF.

For someone dipping their toe in screenwriting with a word processor, I would strongly advise against trying to number the scenes. Automatic paragraph numbering (tied to a specific heading style) can get finicky if there's a lot of cutting and pasting, and once a problem occurs it can be very difficult to troubleshoot. Manual paragraph numbering is a lot of stress for negligible benefit. And besides all that, getting rid of the numbers on request turns out to be non-trivial.
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