Automatic Cast List Generation
The Cast List feature is typically used in three-camera shows to list which characters appear in a scene. The Cast List appears directly below the Scene Heading.
Note: if you'd like to just have a list of characters in your script, instead of an automatically filling cast list, we'd recommend using a second title page, as outlined in the below article:
Can I have multiple title pages?
To generate a Cast List for each scene:
- Enter a Scene Heading in the script;
- Press Return to insert a new Action paragraph;
- Type some action;
- Once the scene has been started, place the blinking cursor at the end of the Scene Heading and press Return;
- The cursor will be blinking on a blank line; press Return to bring up the Elements menu;
- Choose Cast List.
As characters are entered into the scene, their names automatically appear in the new Cast List paragraph. When a character is removed from a scene, it is removed from the Cast List for that scene.
When finished, click OK.
Cast List Element Options for Mac Users
If the Cast List element is used in a script (primarily in 3-camera shows)...
and the order of names in the paragraph needs to be changed, the three options presented are Alphabetical, Order of Appearance in Each Scene, and Custom Order.
The Custom Order option is used if the names are to arranged in a certain way. If (for example) the showrunner wants the leads to always be listed first, check the Custom Order radio button and drag the character names into the correct order.
In this example, Tangle is the first lead and Mossy is the second lead; their names, in that order, should always be first in the Cast List paragraph. Mossy is dragged up under Tangle in the list...
...and whenever he appears in a scene, his will be always the second name listed (Tangle will always be first, if she is in the scene).
Insert Non-Speaking Character
This feature adds a character with no dialogue to the cast list of the scene containing the cursor. Final Draft automatically tracks and displays all speaking characters in a scene and with this command, the program can also account for non-speaking characters, extras or background cast.
The order in which the inserted non-speaking character appears in the Characters section of the Navigator and the Cast List element in the script is managed under Cast List Element Options.
Cast List Element Options for Windows Users
Final Draft automatically keeps track of the speaking characters in each scene. These characters are displayed in the Characters section of the Navigator. To change the order in which they are displayed in the Navigator, choose the appropriate radio button (Alphabetical or Order of Appearance in Each Scene):
If Custom Order is selected, a character name may be dragged to the desired position on the list.
The dialogue balloon icon on the right of this list indicates that the character speaks in this scene. If a non-speaking character has been inserted into this scene (see above Insert > Non-Speaking Character), that character's dialogue balloon icon has a red X to indicate that this character.
If the Cast List element is used in the script, changing the order in the Cast List Element Option window will also change the order of the characters in this element.