> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rewatch.studio/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Paste your script > The exact format of a dialogue that Rewatch performs word for word, and the traps that make it get ignored. When your lines are already written, choose “Paste your script” in the “Story” tool (or “Long video”). The app recognizes the dialogue, performs it **word for word**, and turns every character who speaks into a cast member. It does not add roles and does not rewrite your lines. > [!NOTE] > > The same format works in “Describe your idea”: as soon as the app finds at least four lines there, it keeps them as they are. The “Paste your script” mode mostly exists to say so clearly. ## The format of a line One line of dialogue per line: the name, an optional acting note in square brackets, a colon, the line. ```text theme={null} Lea [worried]: She moved again. Sam [deadpan]: It's the floor. ``` | Element | Rule | | - | - | | **Name** | Four words at most. “Mary-Ann” works. A name in capitals (`KEVIN`) becomes `Kevin` in the story. | | **\[Acting note]** | Optional. Emotion, pace, gesture: passed as is to the voice and to the staging. | | **Separator** | Colon (recommended). A long dash or a hyphen followed by a space also work. | | **Line** | The exact text that will be spoken. | The brackets are the place for everything a simple list of paces cannot say: `[whispers, close to tears]`, `[very fast, without breathing]`, `[chewing]`. ## Shots without speech Two ways to write a silent moment: ```text theme={null} Kevin [no line, he swallows] [SILENCE two seconds, locked shot on the door] ``` * `Name [action]` without a colon: a shot on that character, who says nothing. * `[SILENCE …]` alone on its line: a silent shot that belongs to nobody. Describe what we see. You can write the word in your language (`[SILENCIO …]`, `[STILLE …]`): any line alone between square brackets is a silent shot. ## The voice over A line attributed to **Narrator**, **Voice over** (or **Voice-over**) or **VO** is spoken off screen. It is not a character: it is never drawn. ```text theme={null} Narrator: There was no wedding. ``` > [!WARNING] > > Only these words are recognized as narration (plus the French ones, `Voix off`, `Narrateur`, `Narratrice`). Any other word, such as `Announcer` or `Storyteller`, would become a character who is drawn on screen. ## A complete example ```text theme={null} Locked shot on the teller's window, neon light buzzing. Kevin [polite, a little tense]: Hi, I'd like to withdraw six thousand dollars. Teller [without looking up]: In cash? Kevin: In cash. [SILENCE two seconds, she finally looks at him] Teller [slow]: Can I see some documentation? Kevin [forced smile]: It's for a wedding. Teller: Yours? Kevin [no line, he swallows] Narrator: There was no wedding. ``` Here the app reads two characters (Kevin and the teller), seven spoken lines, two silent shots, and about 12 seconds of video. The first line, in prose, is not performed: it is passed to the shot breakdown as a staging instruction. ## The two rules that delimit your dialogue The app has to separate your dialogue from everything around it (titles, notes, instructions). It relies on two rules, and knowing them avoids unpleasant surprises. **1. A real character speaks at least twice** A line like `STORY: Kevin wants to withdraw money` has the shape of a line of dialogue. What gives it away is that “STORY” appears only once. The names that come back are the characters. **2. The dialogue is one block** The block runs from the first to the last line of a character who comes back. Inside it, everything is kept, even a character who speaks only once. **Outside it, nothing is performed.** > [!WARNING] > > A lone line right at the beginning or right at the end, spoken by someone who speaks only once, falls outside the block and is not performed. A `[SILENCE …]` after the last line is not either. Here, “Manager” and “Officer” are dropped: > > ```text theme={null} > Manager: Next! > Kevin: Hello. > Teller: Hello. > Kevin: I'd like to withdraw some money. > Teller: How much? > Kevin: All of it. > Officer: Sir, come with us. > ``` > > To keep them, make them speak a second time, or make the dialogue start and end with a character who comes back. The voice over, however, always counts: a narration on the first or the last line is kept. Other useful rules: * **At least four lines.** Below that, the text is read as an idea, and the AI writes its own lines. * **Storyboard fields are not characters.** `Dialogue:`, `Shot:`, `SFX:`, `Prompt:`, `Camera:`, `Scene:` and their kin are recognized as headings, never as people speaking. Use these English words: their translations in other languages are not recognized and would become characters. * **Markdown headings are ignored.** A line that starts with `#` is never a line of dialogue. * **Bold is stripped from names.** `**Paul**: …` gives the character Paul. ## The length comes from the script A script is neither stretched nor squeezed: it sets the length, not the setting. The app estimates it like this: ```text theme={null} length ≈ number of spoken words ÷ 3.5 + 2.5 s per silent shot ``` For a 30 second video without silent shots, aim for about 100 words of dialogue. The assistant's summary shows “Script length” once the text is pasted. > [!TIP] > > For a strong hook, the first line must carry the stakes. No “Hi” and no introduction: enter the scene at the moment things tip over. See [The rules of a good prompt](https://docs.rewatch.studio/rules.md). ## What you can write around the dialogue Whatever is written **before the first line or after the last one** is passed to the shot breakdown as a note: the place, the mood, the framing, the pace. Write it in simple sentences. ```text theme={null} Shot reverse shot, getting tighter and tighter. Night, kitchen lit by the open fridge. ``` > [!WARNING] > > A line of prose slipped **between two lines of dialogue** is neither performed nor passed on. For an instruction about a precise moment, put it in the acting note of the line (`Malik [stands up, back to the window]: …`) or make it a silent shot (`[SILENCE, the hallway light goes out]`). To show text on screen, use a **marker** on its own line (`[CARD]`, `[COUNTER]`, `[BANNER]`…) for animated cards, counters and labels. See [On-screen overlays](https://docs.rewatch.studio/video/overlays.md). Writing “on-screen text:” inside the brackets is only understood in French scripts, so in English always use a marker. ## Common mistakes > [accordion] Putting the character description in the line > > `Lea (blonde, 30 years old, red coat): …` mixes appearance and acting. The appearance goes in “Characters” in the [references](https://docs.rewatch.studio/video/references.md), the acting goes in the brackets. > [accordion] Changing the spelling of a name along the way > > `Zoë` then `Zoe` give two different characters: the case is ignored, the accents are not. Keep exactly the same name. > [accordion] Lines that are too long > > Aim for 8 words per sentence at most. A long tirade becomes a frozen shot where nothing moves. > [accordion] Pasting a scene by scene storyboard > > Lines written `Name: line` are recognized even in the middle of a storyboard. But a line filed inside a field (`Dialogue: Zoë: Did you hear that?`) is not, and the “Image:” and “SFX:” lines placed between two lines of dialogue are lost. Keep one line per line, and put the shot indications in the brackets. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.