Skip to main content

Organize Your Project

Goal: Structure your project's hierarchy — shows, seasons, episodes, acts, scenes — so navigation is fast and the team always knows where things are.

A well-organized project is the difference between a smooth production and hours lost searching for the right scene. ACT3 AI lets you define whether you are making a feature film, a TV series, a short, or a commercial — and the hierarchy adjusts accordingly. Inside that structure, you name and reorder scenes, archive what is done, and search across everything.

If you are just starting out: get the project type and episode structure right first. Everything else — scene naming, ordering, archiving — can be adjusted as you go.

Steps​

  1. Open Project Settings. Click the gear icon in the left sidebar, or go to the top navigation bar and select the project name → Settings. The Project Settings panel opens.

  2. Rename the project. In the Project Settings panel, the project name field is at the top. Click it, clear the existing name, and type the new one. Press Enter or click Save to confirm. The new name appears in the left sidebar and the browser tab.

  3. Set the project type. Find the Project Type dropdown in Project Settings. Options are: Movie, TV Series, Short Film, and Commercial. Selecting TV Series unlocks the Season and Episode hierarchy below the project level. Selecting Movie or Short Film uses a simpler Act → Scene structure.

  4. Add episodes (TV Series only). If your project type is TV Series, a Season panel appears below the type selector. Click Add Episode to create a new episode entry. Name it — for example, "S01E01 — Pilot" — and press Enter. Repeat for each episode. Episodes appear as expandable groups in the left sidebar.

  5. Rename scenes. In the left sidebar, right-click any scene name and select Rename. Type the new name and press Enter. Use descriptive names that include location and time of day: "INT. DINER — NIGHT" or "EXT. ROOFTOP CHASE — DAY". Clear scene names make navigation faster and make the script view readable at a glance.

  6. Reorder scenes by dragging. In the left sidebar scene list, click and hold a scene row, then drag it up or down to a new position. A blue insertion line shows where the scene will land. Release to drop. Scene numbers update automatically throughout the project.

  7. Add groups or folders. Right-click in the scene list and select New Group. Name the group — for example, "Act 1" or "Subway Sequence." Drag scenes into the group to nest them. Groups collapse and expand, making it easy to hide finished acts while working on others.

  8. Archive finished scenes. Right-click a scene or group and select Archive. Archived items disappear from the main scene list but remain accessible via the Archive filter (top of the scene list → Filter → Show Archived). Use archiving to clear finished work from view without deleting it.

  9. Search within the project. Press Cmd+K to open the project search bar. Type a scene name, character name, or dialogue snippet. Results show matching scenes and shots with their location in the hierarchy. Click a result to jump directly to that scene or shot.

  10. Filter the scene list. Use the filter dropdown at the top of the scene list panel to narrow by status: All, In Progress, Approved, Locked, or Archived. Use the In Progress filter when you want to see only the scenes that still need work.

Next steps​