Within the Beat Board, you can connect beats with Flow Lines to show the relationship between ideas. These connected beats can include subplots, through lines, themes and any other details the writer might find useful.
Connecting beats starts with selecting all the relative beats you want to connect:
- Connect -- when two Beats are selected and this command is issued, a Flow Line will be drawn between the two Beats.
- Connect with Arrow -- when two Beats are selected and this command is issued, a Flow Line with an arrowhead pointing towards the second Beat selected will be drawn;
- Connect with Reverse Arrow -- when two Beats are selected and this command is issued, a Flow Line with an arrowhead pointing towards the first Beat selected will be drawn;
- Connect with Double Arrow -- when two Beats are selected and this command is issued, a Flow Line with an arrowhead pointing towards both Beats will be drawn.
A Flow Line type may also be changed at any time by right-clicking on it and choosing another type from the context menu:
Beats can be connected by dragging one on top of the other. The dragged Beat will return to its original location and there will a Flow Line (with no arrows) between the two. Beats can be disconnected the same way.
Connectors stay attached to Beats even when they are moved.
Connection Color
Displays a color picker to change the color of a Flow Line. Click on a Beat at either end of the Flow Line to select it.
A Flow Line color may also be changed at any time by right-clicking or Control + clicking on it and choosing another color from the context menu.
Disconnect
When a Beat with one Flow Line is selected and this command is issued, the Flow Line between it and the other Beat to which it is connected will be removed.
When a Beat multiple Flow Lines is selected and this command is issued, the Flow Line between it and the first Beat to which it was connected will be removed.
A Flow Line may also be removed at any time by right-clicking on it and choosing Disconnect from the context menu.
This feature may be disabled (so that Beats can be positioned close together rather than creating Flow Lines between them) by unchecking the box under the Final Draft 13 menu > Settings/Preferences > General:
To learn more about Flow Lines and the Beat Board watch the following video:
Or read the following article about Flow Lines and how they can help your storytelling: