Quick Start

Welcome to Laper! This guide will walk you through creating your first screenplay project. By the end, you'll have a professional script ready to share with your team.

Pro tip: Laper uses the industry-standard Hollywood screenplay format automatically. Just focus on your story — we'll handle the formatting.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A Laper account (free tier works great)
• A story idea (even a rough concept is enough)
• 5 minutes of your time

Step 1: Create a New Project

After logging in, click the New Project button in the top-right corner of your dashboard.

You'll be prompted to enter:

Choosing the Right Template

Laper offers three starting templates:

1. Blank Script — Start from scratch with an empty document
2. Three-Act Structure — Pre-populated beat sheet with story milestones
3. Character-First — Begin by defining your cast, then build scenes around them

Step 2: Write Your First Scene

Every great screenplay starts with a single scene. Here's the anatomy of a properly formatted scene:

INT. MISSION CONTROL - DAY

SARAH CHEN (50s), weathered but determined, stares at a wall of
monitors displaying trajectory data.

                    SARAH
          We have 72 hours. That's it.

She turns to face her team — a ragtag group of retired astronauts
and young engineers.

                    SARAH (CONT'D)
          Who's ready to save the world?

Scene Heading Components

A scene heading (also called a "slug line") contains three elements:

• INT/EXT — Interior or Exterior location
• Location Name — Where the scene takes place
• Time of Day — DAY, NIGHT, DAWN, DUSK, CONTINUOUS, etc.

Step 3: Add Characters

Navigate to the Characters tab to build your cast. Each character card includes:

• Name — How they appear in the script
• Role — Protagonist, Antagonist, Supporting, etc.
• Arc — Their emotional journey through the story
• Relationships — Connections to other characters

Character Naming Conventions

Remember: Character names in dialogue should always be in UPPERCASE.

Step 4: Leverage AI Generation From Your Script

Laper's AI reads your full script (or any passage you select) as context, then one-click derives the production assets you need next — without you ever leaving the editor.

1. Select a character cue, a scene, or any passage you want the AI to ground its output in (or leave nothing selected to use the whole script).
2. Open the AI panel (right side of the editor) and pick a generation: character bio, relationship graph, casting poster, film poster, character portrait, props references, scene still, or storyboard.
3. The task runs in the background; the asset arrives in your asset library and is visible to every collaborator in real time.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Master these shortcuts to keep your hands on the keyboard:

Step 5: Collaborate in Real-Time

Invite your co-writer, director, or producer to collaborate:

1. Click Share in the top-right corner
2. Enter their email address
3. Choose permission level:
   • Editor — Can modify script content
   • Commenter — Can add notes and feedback
   • Viewer — Read-only access

All changes sync instantly via CRDT technology — no conflicts, no overwrites, no lost work.

Step 6: Export Your Script

When you're ready to share your masterpiece, Laper offers multiple export formats:

• PDF — Industry-standard, print-ready
• Final Draft (.fdx) — For Final Draft software compatibility
• Fountain (.fountain) — Plain-text screenplay format

Export Settings

Before exporting, customize your output:

// Example export configuration
{
  format: "PDF",
  paperSize: "US Letter",
  includeSceneNumbers: true,
  includeTitlePage: true,
  watermark: null,
  revision: "First Draft"
}

What's Next?

Now that you've created your first project, explore these advanced features:

• Beats & Story Structure — Plan your narrative arc
• Storyboard Integration — Visualize your scenes
• Cast List Generator — Auto-generate professional cast lists
• Location Breakdown — Organize your shooting locations

Need Help?

If you run into any issues:

• Check our FAQ
• Email us at [email protected]
• Join our Discord community

Happy writing! We can't wait to see what stories you'll tell.