A step outline (also called a scene-by-scene outline or scene outline) is a detailed telling of a story with the intention of turning the story into a screenplay for a motion picture. It briefly describes every scene of the story, usually in the order in which the scenes will appear in the finished script.
A step outline is distinct from a treatment, which is written as continuous prose, and from a beat sheet, which typically breaks a story into its major dramatic turning points rather than listing every scene.[citation needed]
Format
Each scene is summarized in a few lines, and scenes are often numbered in the order in which they occur for convenience. An entry commonly includes:
the location and time of day, as in a scene heading;
Some writers also note what changes in the scene (a decision, a revelation, a shift in the relationship between characters).[citation needed]
Example
The following fictional excerpt illustrates the format:
1. INT. LIGHTHOUSE – NIGHT. Mara, the keeper, finds the logbook torn. She suspects her brother.
2. EXT. HARBOUR – DAWN. Mara confronts Tomas on his boat. He denies everything but avoids her eyes.
3. INT. TAVERN – DAY. A stranger asks Tomas about the lighthouse. Mara overhears from the next table.
Uses
A step outline is generally written after the story idea or treatment and before the first draft of the screenplay.[citation needed] Writers use it to test the structure of a story, to locate scenes that do not advance the plot, and to reorder scenes before committing to full script pages.[citation needed]
It can also be an extremely useful tool for a writer working on a spec script, and it may be shared with producers, script editors or collaborators for feedback before a draft is written.[citation needed] In television, outlines are commonly submitted for approval before an episode is scripted.[citation needed]
