Beat sheets

Beat sheets for documentary structure

Write the arc as a document: acts as headings, beats as paragraphs. Drag to reorder, keep several beat sheets per project, and every beat stays linked to its tape.

Try it now

A working sandbox. No sign-up, no project. Sample data only.

  • A document editor. Drag a heading and its section moves with it.
  • Several beat sheets per project: spine, B-story, thematic cut.
  • AI drafts beats from a topic, or summarises a paper cut into one.
  • Every beat links back to the moment on tape.
  • Export to Word, or put it on a Miro board.
DRAG TO REORDER · ACT 1
demo
01The Arrival

Setting + key players in the control room.

02The Blackout

Power grid fails. Confusion turns to panic.

03First Refusal

Marcus refuses manual override. Schism forms.

04The Override

Elena bypasses the chain of command.

Drag rows or use the arrows to reorder.

How it works

Three steps from raw material to result.

STEP 01
New beat sheet
SpineB-storyThemes
Name the arc

Create a beat sheet titled after the spine you're chasing: "Act 1," "Marcus B-story," "Themes of silence."

STEP 02
AI-drafted from archive
01The Arrival
02The Blackout
03First Refusal
Drop in beats

Add beats manually, summarise from a paper cut, or let the assistant draft a structure from the indexed transcripts.

STEP 03
01
The Arrival
Opening. Control room. Calm.
02
The Blackout
Grid fails. Panic sets in.
03
First Refusal
Marcus holds. The schism forms.
Reorder, refine, export

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.

Can I put a beat sheet on a Miro board?

Yes. The beat sheet is copied as a grid that Miro pastes as cards, one column per act and one card per beat, so the wall in the story room and the document in the project are the same thing.

Related capabilities

Further reading

Background guides and comparisons.

Put beat sheets to work on your project.

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