cinemasetfreeProps vs Breakdown vs Scouting
Scouting answers where do we get it. Breakdown answers what does this scene need. Props answers what does it look like. They are separate records and adding to one does not create the others.
Which tab am I in?
| Tab | Whose tool | The question | What a row holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scouting | Art department, procurement | Where do we get it? | Vendor or rental house, daily rate, field photos, status: scouted → reserved → rented → passed |
| Breakdown | 1st AD, production | What does this scene need? | Any of 15 categories (props, SFX, VFX, stunts, animals, makeup, grip) tagged to scenes, prep status todo → ready → on-set → wrapped |
| Props | Production design | What does it look like? | Description, scale, AI reference sheets, links to the scenes and shots it appears in |
Adding a prop in one tab does not create a row in the other two. The links between them are deliberate, one-time actions: Promote from a breakdown element to a design prop, or a detection rule pointing a script noun at something already scouted. Nothing syncs automatically, by design: the props master reserving a revolver and the designer specifying what it looks like are different decisions at different times.
The chain, when you want it
The intended flow runs Scouting → Breakdown → Props, and each hop is opt-in. A breakdown element can record which scouted item it came from. A design prop can record which breakdown element it was promoted from, or which scouted item it’s being sourced from.
These are provenance stamps, not live links. They tell you where something came from, and a prop shows a small marker when it was promoted from a breakdown element. Changing one record does not change the other.
Which do I actually need?
On a small production, one is often enough. If you only want to know what things look like, use Props and ignore the others. If you only need a shooting breakdown for the call sheet, use Breakdown. Scouting earns its place when you’re comparing rental options and want the photos and rates in one board.