Try it now
A working sandbox. No sign-up, no project. Sample data only.
- Multiple named beat sheets per project for spine, B-story, and thematic cuts.
- Drag-and-drop ordering with inline notes on every beat.
- AI assist generates beats from a topic or summarises a paper cut into a draft.
- Each beat stays linked to its source tape. One click back to the moment.
Setting + key players in the control room.
Power grid fails. Confusion turns to panic.
Marcus refuses manual override. Schism forms.
Elena bypasses the chain of command.
Drag rows or use the arrows to reorder.
How it works
Three steps from raw material to result.
Create a beat sheet titled after the spine you're chasing: "Act 1," "Marcus B-story," "Themes of silence."
Add beats manually, summarise from a paper cut, or let the assistant draft a structure from the indexed transcripts.
Drag rows to reorder, annotate inline, and export to Word for sharing with the director.
Frequently asked questions
How many beat sheets can I have per project?
As many as you need. Most documentary projects use two or three in parallel: a master spine, a B-story, and a thematic cut.
Can the AI suggest beats from a topic?
Yes. Give the assistant a topic or arc and it proposes beats grounded in the project's archive, with each beat linked back to the source moment.
Can I summarise a paper cut into a beat sheet?
Yes. A paper cut can be summarised into a beat-sheet draft in one click, then you reorder and refine from there.
Do beats stay tied to the original tape?
Yes. Click any beat to jump back to the moment on tape. Beats hold timecode, speaker, and the original quote.
Can I export a beat sheet?
Beat sheets export to a Word document for sharing with directors and writers. The export preserves order, beat titles, and short descriptions.
Related capabilities
Further reading
Background guides and comparisons.
A documentary beat sheet is not a screenplay beat sheet. Here is what a documentary beat actually says, how many beats a feature needs, and when directors write them before shooting versus after.
Beat sheets define structure. Paper cuts handle assembly. They work in sequence, not in competition. Here is how the two documents relate and why skipping the beat sheet creates problems in the paper cut.