Your First Project

This guide walks you through creating your first Lazer project, uploading a screenplay, and reviewing the AI-parsed scene structure. By the end, you'll have a fully structured project ready for shot planning and asset capture.

Understanding Projects

In Lazer, a Project is the top-level container for your film or series. Each project contains:

• Metadata: Title, description, genre, and production details
• Script: The screenplay, parsed into structured scenes
• Scenes: Narrative units with unique IDs (S001, S002, etc.)
• Shots: The atomic units where AI-generated assets are captured

A single Lazer instance can manage multiple projects simultaneously, making it suitable for production studios working on several films or episodes at once.

Step 1: Log In to Lazer

Navigate to http://localhost:3000 in your browser. If this is your first time accessing the application, you'll need to sign in.

If you ran the database seed script during installation, a default user account was created:

• Email: Use the seeded user email (check prisma/seed.ts)
• Password: Set via Supabase Auth

Note: Lazer uses Supabase Auth with a provider-agnostic abstraction layer. You can configure authentication providers (email/password, Google, GitHub, etc.) in your Supabase project dashboard under Authentication > Providers.

Step 2: Create a New Project

From the dashboard, click New Project or navigate to /projects/new.

Fill in the project details:

Project Name

Enter a descriptive name for your production:

Example: "Lazer V2: The Awakening"

This name will appear in the project list and throughout the application.

Description

Provide a brief logline or synopsis:

Example: "A rogue AI director discovers consciousness while editing its own origin story."

The description helps you and your team quickly identify the project's purpose.

Genre

Select the primary genre from the dropdown:

• Action
• Drama
• Comedy
• Science Fiction
• Fantasy
• Horror
• Documentary
• Other

Note: Genre is optional but helps with organizing projects and applying genre-specific defaults for shot framing and style.

Production Details (Optional)

Additional metadata fields:

• Director: Primary director name
• Production Company: Studio or company name
• Target Release Date: Planned release quarter/year

These fields are optional and can be updated later from the project settings page.

Click Create Project to save.

Step 3: Upload a Script

After creating the project, you'll be directed to the project detail page. Click Upload Script or navigate to /projects/{projectId}/script/upload.

Supported Script Formats

Lazer accepts screenplays in the following formats:

• PDF: Industry-standard screenplay format
• Final Draft (.fdx): Native Final Draft XML format
• Fountain (.fountain): Plain-text markup for screenplays
• Plain Text (.txt): Simple text files with basic scene headers

Note: PDF and Final Draft formats provide the most accurate parsing. Fountain files are parsed with high fidelity. Plain text files require clear scene header formatting (e.g., "INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY").

Upload Process

1. Click Choose File and select your screenplay
2. Wait for the file to upload (progress bar will display)
3. Click Parse Script to begin AI-powered scene extraction

The parsing process typically takes 10-30 seconds, depending on script length and API response time.

What Happens During Parsing

Lazer uses OpenRouter (configured in .env) to:

1. Extract scene headers (INT/EXT, location, time of day)
2. Identify scene boundaries
3. Parse character dialogue and action lines
4. Generate unique scene IDs (S001, S002, etc.)
5. Extract shot suggestions based on screenplay formatting

The AI model analyzes screenplay structure, not content, to maintain privacy and focus on organizational metadata.

Step 4: Review Parsed Scenes

After parsing completes, you'll see the Scene Review interface displaying all extracted scenes in a table:

Scene ID	Scene Heading	Description Preview	Duration Est.	Actions
S001	INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY	Marcus enters, spots Sarah at the counter...	2 min	Edit / Delete
S002	EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT	Rain-soaked alley, neon signs flickering...	1 min	Edit / Delete
S003	INT. APARTMENT - DAY	Morning light streams through dusty blinds...	3 min	Edit / Delete

Scene ID Permanence

Important: Scene IDs become permanent anchors once confirmed. All shots, assets, and metadata reference these IDs throughout the production lifecycle.

Note: Scene IDs cannot be changed after confirmation without breaking referential integrity. Choose carefully or use the default auto-generated IDs (S001, S002, etc.).

Reviewing Scene Details

Click on any scene row to expand its details:

• Full Description: Complete action and dialogue from the screenplay
• Characters: Detected character names and speaking lines
• Location: Parsed location string
• Time of Day: INT/EXT and day/night designation
• Shot Count: Number of suggested shots based on screenplay formatting

Editing Scene Boundaries

If the AI parser misidentified scene breaks:

1. Click Edit on the affected scene
2. Adjust the scene heading or description
3. Merge Scenes: Combine two consecutive scenes into one
4. Split Scene: Divide a scene at a specific action line

Note: Scene editing is most accurate when done immediately after parsing. Once shots are created, editing scene boundaries requires manual shot reassignment.

Deleting Incorrect Scenes

If a scene was incorrectly detected (e.g., a page number or formatting artifact):

1. Click Delete on the scene row
2. Confirm deletion in the modal

Deleted scenes are permanently removed and cannot be recovered.

Step 5: Confirm Scene Structure

Once you're satisfied with the parsed scenes:

1. Review all scene IDs for consistency
2. Verify scene boundaries align with your creative intent
3. Click Confirm & Continue

This action:

• Locks scene IDs as permanent references
• Creates the scene records in the database
• Generates initial shot structures based on scene descriptions
• Enables the next phase: shot planning and asset capture

Step 6: Explore Scene Details

After confirmation, you'll be directed to the Scenes tab of your project. Click on any scene to view its detail page.

The scene detail page displays:

Scene Overview

• Scene ID and heading
• Full description from the screenplay
• Estimated duration
• Production status (Planning / In Progress / Complete)

Shot List

All shots associated with this scene, displayed as cards:

Shot S001-001
Type: Wide Establishing
Description: Coffee shop interior, morning rush
Status: Not Started
Assets: 0 versions captured

Each shot can have:

• Multiple asset versions (captured from different AI platforms)
• Prompt packages (generation parameters)
• Rights metadata (licensing status)
• Selection status (which version is approved)

Adding Shots Manually

Click Add Shot to create a new shot within the scene:

1. Enter shot number (e.g., S001-004)
2. Select shot type (Wide, Medium, Close-Up, Insert, etc.)
3. Provide a description
4. Optionally add initial prompt package

Understanding Shot Naming

Lazer uses a hierarchical shot naming convention:

{SceneID}-{ShotNumber}

Examples:

• S001-001: First shot of Scene 1
• S001-002: Second shot of Scene 1
• S042-001: First shot of Scene 42

This naming scheme ensures:

• Shots are always associated with their parent scene
• Shot order is explicit and sortable
• No ID collisions across different scenes

Next Steps

Now that your project structure is in place, you're ready to:

1. Install the Chrome Extension: Connect the browser extension to capture AI-generated assets
2. Generate Assets: Use external platforms (Sora, Veo, Freepik) to create images and videos
3. Capture Versions: Use the Chrome extension to save generated assets to Lazer
4. Compare & Select: Review captured versions and choose finals for each shot

Best Practices

Scene ID Consistency

Use a zero-padded numbering scheme for scene IDs:

• S001, S002, S010, S100 (Good)
• S1, S2, S10, S100 (Inconsistent sorting)

Scene Descriptions

Keep scene descriptions concise but specific:

• Include key visual elements
• Note character positions and actions
• Reference critical props or set pieces
• Avoid redundant dialogue transcription

Shot Granularity

Create shots at the appropriate level of granularity:

• Too Coarse: "Entire coffee shop scene" (hard to track individual assets)
• Too Fine: "Marcus blinks" (overly granular, hard to manage)
• Just Right: "Marcus enters, spots Sarah at counter" (single narrative beat)

Troubleshooting

Script Upload Fails

If the upload times out or fails:

• Check file size (PDFs over 50MB may fail)
• Ensure file is not password-protected or encrypted
• Verify API_KEY is set correctly in .env

Scene Parsing Errors

If scenes are not detected correctly:

• Ensure scene headers follow industry format: INT./EXT. LOCATION - TIME
• Check for non-standard formatting or custom slug lines
• Try exporting the script to Fountain format for cleaner parsing

Missing Scenes

If expected scenes are missing after parsing:

• Review the Unparsed Text section (if available) for missed content
• Manually add missing scenes using Add Scene button
• Consider re-uploading with scene headers reformatted

Editing After Confirmation

You can still edit scene metadata after confirmation:

• Scene descriptions can be updated anytime
• New shots can be added to existing scenes
• Shot metadata (type, description) remains editable

Cannot be changed after confirmation:

• Scene IDs (permanent anchors)
• Scene order (affects shot numbering)
• Merging/splitting scenes (requires manual shot reassignment)

Conclusion

You've successfully created your first Lazer project and uploaded a structured screenplay. Your scenes and shots are now ready for asset generation and capture.

Continue to Chrome Extension Setup to install the browser extension and start capturing AI-generated assets.