Script formatting

This guide covers how to format your script so that ActOnCue understands who's speaking, when to pause, and how each line should be delivered.

Line types

Each line in your script is assigned a type. You can change a line's type at any time by clicking on it in the editor and selecting from the menu on the left.

1. Scene heading

Scene headings mark the start of a new scene. Write them in ALL CAPS starting with INT. or EXT.

This is optional and purely for structure. It won't be read aloud unless you want it to.

2. Character

A character's name is written in ALL CAPS on a line by itself to indicate who is speaking.

When you select a character line, the right panel shows settings for that character, including which voice is assigned to them. You can change the voice directly from here.

3. Dialogue

The spoken line, placed immediately beneath the character name.

When you select a dialogue line, the right panel shows settings specific to that line:

• Speech instructions (Dramatic voices) - describe the mood or context for delivery
• Audio reference (Consistent voices) - record yourself to guide the voice's tone and pacing
• Pause after line - add a timed pause before the next line

For more on speech instructions and audio references, see voices.

4. Parenthetical

Stage directions relating to dialogue, wrapped in parentheses:

5. Action

Action lines describe what's happening in the scene. They are plain sentences placed between dialogue blocks and are not read aloud.

6. Transition

Cues like CUT TO: or FADE IN: that mark transitions between scenes.

Pauses

You can add pauses between lines to control the pacing of your scene. There are two ways to do this:

Adding a pause to a line

Select any dialogue line in the editor. In the right panel, you'll see a pause setting where you can specify how many seconds to wait after that line before the next one begins. This is useful for adding breathing room, dramatic beats, or time to prepare.

Using timer-based turns

By default, ActOnCue uses speech recognition to detect when you've finished speaking and triggers the next line automatically. But you can switch to timer-based turns instead.

With timer-based turns, each line waits for a set duration before advancing, regardless of speech recognition. This is useful when:

• Speech recognition struggles with specific lines
• You're rehearsing in a noisy environment
• You want predictable, consistent timing between lines
• You're recording a self-tape and need exact pacing

To switch to timer-based turns, open the rehearsal settings and change the cue mode from automatic to timer.

Example structure

Here's how a cleanly formatted script looks:

Formatting tips

• Use blank lines between blocks (e.g., between characters or stage directions)
• Avoid using colons (ALEX:) - stick with ALL CAPS names
• Keep it text only. Don't add bullet points or other non-text characters
• Don't indent lines or use quotation marks for dialogue

Common issues

Most of the time, you simply need to change the line type:

Problem	Fix
Character name not recognized	Change line type to Character
Action line read aloud	Change it from "Dialogue" to "Parenthetical"
Dialogue not linked to a speaker	Ensure dialogues follow directly after the character's name

What's next?

• Rehearse - start running your scene
• Voices - customise how each character sounds
• Learn lines - progressive line-hiding for memorisation

Troubleshooting: script issues