When casting starts, nobody sends an actor the whole screenplay. They send sides: a few pages with the scenes their character is in. It looks like a simple copy-and-paste job, yet this is exactly where a lot of shoot days go wrong: the actor turns up with pages that are missing the scene added yesterday. Below is what screenplay sides are, how to put them together properly, and how to stop doing it by hand.
What are sides?
Sides are an extract from a screenplay that contains only the scenes featuring one character. Each scene is included in full: the scene heading, the action, and the other characters' dialogue, everything that gives the moment its context.
The most common beginner mistake is to treat sides as a list of one character's lines. The actor needs to see what they are responding to, what happens before and after they speak, and where the scene takes place. Strip it down to the lines alone and the scene stops making sense.
Sides are used in two different situations, and each has its own requirements.
Casting sides. Two to four pages sent to an actor for an audition. These are not every scene the character has. The casting director picks a few that show the range: one with an emotional peak, one dialogue scene, sometimes a monologue. A short character description often goes with them.
Shooting sides. Sides for a specific shoot day: every scene on the call sheet that the actor works in. Nothing is selected here; whatever is being shot goes in.
Sides, screenplay and call sheet: who handles what
| Document | Prepared by | Contains | Goes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screenplay | Screenwriter | The full text of the film | Crew, director, producer |
| Casting sides | Casting director | 2–4 pages of the character's scenes | Actors auditioning |
| Shooting sides | Second assistant director (2nd AD) | The day's scenes for a given actor | Actors on set |
| Call sheet | 1st or 2nd AD | The day's schedule: scenes, call times, locations, who is needed | The whole unit |
Sides are always derived from the screenplay. That means any change to the script instantly makes the old sides obsolete, and that is the root of most of the trouble.
What actor sides must include
The scene heading. INT. KITCHEN - DAY tells the actor the time of day, the setting and, indirectly, something about the character's state. Never lift dialogue without its headings.
The scene number. If the script is numbered, the number belongs on the sides. It is how the actor and the crew find the scene in the full document, and on set it is the main identifier.
All of the action. Every line of description in the scene, not only the ones that mention the character. The actor needs to know there is a third person in the room, even if that person never speaks.
The other characters' lines. Without them there is no dialogue.
The original page numbers. Ideally, the sides show which page of the screenplay each scene comes from. Then everyone on set is talking about the same thing.
A draft version or date. The most important element and the one most often left off. Undated sides breed confusion: nobody can tell whether the text is current.
The name of the character the sides are for. In the header or in the file name: Kate_sides_2026-09-11.pdf.
The pages themselves follow the same industry standard as the screenplay: 12-point Courier, the same margins and indents. There is nothing to "optimize" for sides. The standard itself is covered in our guide on how to format a screenplay.
What should never be in sides
Trimmed scenes. The temptation to cut a "spare" paragraph of action to squeeze everything onto two pages always leads to questions on set.
Spoilers beyond the scenes. Casting sides should not give away the ending. An audition doesn't need it, and a script is better kept off the internet until the premiere.
Notes for the director or production. Budget flags, location comments, internal sections: none of it goes into sides.
Scenes where the character has no lines. If the character is only mentioned in a scene and doesn't speak, that scene is usually left out. The exception is when the character is on screen in silence and that matters for the performance; then the scene is added by hand.
Making sides by hand, and why it goes wrong
The traditional method: open the screenplay, search for the character's name, copy each scene into a new document, fix the formatting, save as PDF. On a 120-page script with twelve characters that is several hours of work, and it has to be repeated after every revision.
The manual method fails in three typical ways.
A missed scene. The character has one line on page 74, and the search didn't find it because the cue reads KATE (V.O.). The actor arrives unprepared.
Broken formatting. Copying out of a PDF, or between editors, wrecks the indents. The actor gets pages that are hard to read cold.
An outdated version. The script was revised; the sides weren't. The two documents drifted apart and nobody noticed until the take.
That is why professional productions generate sides automatically from the same file that holds the screenplay.
How to generate actor sides automatically
The logic is simple: the software walks through the screenplay, finds every line the character speaks, works out which scenes those lines are in, and outputs those scenes in full, from one scene heading to the next.
There are two details where algorithms usually break, and they are worth testing in any tool:
Character extensions. KATE, KATE (V.O.) and KATE (CONT'D) are one character. KATE and KATIE are two. Matching should use the core of the name without the parenthetical, as an exact match rather than a substring search (otherwise JOHN pulls in every scene with JOHNSON).
Dual dialogue. When two columns of dialogue run side by side, the scene has to be taken with both columns. It can't be split down the middle.
In ProfiScenario it works like this:
- Open the project and the File ▾ menu.
- Actor sides: pick a character from the list (each name shows its number of lines). You get a PDF with only that character's scenes.
- All sides (.zip): an archive with a separate PDF for every character in the screenplay. Handy when the whole cast needs their sides at once.
The documents are rendered on the server by the same engine as the main screenplay PDF, so the formatting is guaranteed to match the original. This feature is part of the Pro plan.
The real advantage of automatic sides isn't the hours saved. It is that the sides always match the current text. Revise the script, re-export in ten seconds, and every actor has the right pages.
The workflow: when to send sides, and to whom
Casting. The casting director picks two to four representative scenes and builds the casting sides from the full extract: take the character's generated PDF and keep the scenes you need. Add a short character brief: age, occupation, relationship to the protagonist.
Once the cast is locked. Each actor gets the full extract of their scenes, so they can see the character's whole arc rather than isolated moments.
Before each shoot day. Sides matched to the call sheet: only tomorrow's scenes. The production team prepares them, but the source is still the same screenplay.
After every revision. New sides with the new date in the file name. Old sides aren't "updated"; a new file goes out, so the actor never has two versions with the same name.
Checklist before you send sides
- Scenes are complete, with scene headings and action
- Scene numbers match the numbers in the screenplay
- Every line the character speaks is found, including cues with
(V.O.),(O.S.)or(CONT'D) - Page format matches the screenplay
- The file name includes the character's name and the date:
Kate_sides_2026-09-11.pdf - The draft version is stated
- The file is a PDF, not an editable format
- Dual-dialogue scenes are not split
Frequently asked questions
How many pages should audition sides be?
Usually two to four. That is one to three scenes: enough to show range, and short enough for an actor to prepare in an evening.
Do actors get the full screenplay for an audition?
As a rule, no. At the audition stage they get sides only. Cast actors receive the full script, often after signing a non-disclosure agreement.
Should scenes where the character is present but silent be included?
Automatic generation takes the scenes where the character has lines. If a silent presence matters for the performance, that scene is added by hand. It is a rare case and the director's call.
What is the difference between sides and a call sheet?
Sides are the text of the scenes, for the actor. A call sheet is the shoot-day schedule for the whole unit: call times, locations, who is needed and when. They are separate documents that are often handed out together.
Who is responsible for preparing sides?
At casting, the casting director; on set, the second assistant director. Screenwriters don't usually make sides, but whether sides can be generated automatically depends on how clean the writer's file is.
Sides in ProfiScenario
In ProfiScenario, actor sides aren't a separate document you have to maintain. They are generated from the screenplay: you edit the text, click Actor sides, and get an up-to-date PDF. Characters are matched by their normalized name, so (V.O.) and (CONT'D) don't break the selection, and dual-dialogue scenes stay intact.
PDF and Fountain export are free. Server-rendered actor sides, the all-characters archive, Word and Final Draft export, the sitcom format and real-time collaboration come with the Pro plan (₴299/month, 7-day free trial). See the pricing page for a full comparison.
Try it free: import your screenplay and generate sides for the whole cast in seconds.
Sources
- What are Script "Sides" in Film and Television?: Scriptation on production sides as an extract of the day's scenes.
- Call sheet: Wikipedia on what a call sheet is and who prepares it.