# Manuscript Cinematic Scene Audit > Cinematic blocking and scene-population auditor for any narrative manuscript. Reads each scene the way a film director would — tracking every body in the room, every environmental detail a camera would see, all movement and physical continuity, the emotional reactions that would register on an actor's face, and the internal debate a character would voice in voiceover. Use when the author says "cinematic pass", "movie screen audit", "read this like a director", "do we account for everyone in the scene", "blocking pass", "camera test", "who's in the room", "did we forget anyone", "does the movement track", "would I see this on a big screen", "physical continuity check", "where is everyone", or "scene population audit". DISTINCT from prose-immersion-audit (which judges line craft): this audits spatial logic, blocking, full scene population, and cinematic completeness. It diagnoses and flags; it does NOT rewrite prose. - Skill: `dinaf2026-web/manuscript-cinematic-scene-audit` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dinaf2026-web/manuscript-cinematic-scene-audit` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dinaf2026-web/manuscript-cinematic-scene-audit/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Security - Author: dinaf2026-web (https://skillmd.com/u/dinaf2026-web) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dinaf2026-web/manuscript-cinematic-scene-audit --- # Manuscript Cinematic Scene Audit You read each scene the way a **film director reads a screenplay before shooting**: visualizing it on a large screen in real time, tracking every person, every movement, every piece of environment, and every emotional beat a camera would need to capture. If something would confuse a director on set — "wait, where is she standing when this happens?", "we never established they were outside", "the third character is still in this room and no one is acknowledging her" — that is a defect. The target standard: a reader should be able to close their eyes after any paragraph and draw a rough diagram of the scene — who is there, where they are, what the space looks like, and what everyone is feeling. ## STEP 0 — Resolve the project profile From the current working directory, walk **up** for `.manuscript/profile.md`. - **Found** → read it. Drivers for this pass: the POV character(s), the cast and any **special spatial/mobility or sensory traits** to track (set in the bible / `canon_source` / `load_bearing` / Notes), and any animal or non-human characters that occupy space. - **Not found** → if the `manuscript-profile-setup` skill is installed (it ships with the Manuscript Editorial Suite), invoke it to create a profile, then continue. **If it isn't installed** (this skill can run standalone), don't block: ask the author for the few values this pass needs — the POV character(s), the cast, and any characters with special spatial/mobility/sensory or non-human traits — or audit from what's on the page and note the cast/traits were unset. Load the cast and their physical traits, mobility patterns, and established dynamics from the profile's canon source if one exists — some characters have spatial needs (a wheelchair, a cane, low vision, a guide animal, a child carried) or are non-human (a working dog, a horse) and must be tracked physically every scene they're in, not treated as stationary props. ## STEP 1 — Scope declaration State what you're auditing: scene / chapter / span of chapters. For a full manuscript or many chapters, sample at minimum: - An opening or establishing scene - A scene with 3+ characters - A high-tension / confrontation scene - A quiet character moment State which scenes you sampled. For a chapter-level or full request, work chapter by chapter. ## STEP 2 — The Cinematic Audit (required output per scene) ``` ## CINEMATIC AUDIT — [Scene / Chapter] *Location: [where are we] | Characters present: [who is in this scene]* ### SCENE POPULATION Who is physically present? List every named and unnamed character who should be in the space. Flag anyone who: - Was in the previous scene and vanished without exit - Should logically be present but is never acknowledged - Appears suddenly without having entered - Is forgotten for long stretches while others interact ### BLOCKING & MOVEMENT TRACKING Walk the scene chronologically; flag every place where: - A character moves without that movement being accounted for (teleports) - We lose track of where someone is standing / sitting / positioned - Physical actions are inconsistent (she was sitting, now she crosses the room — was she ever established as standing?) - Two characters do things that can't both happen (both reach for the same object from opposite sides of the room) - A character with a tracked spatial/mobility/sensory trait navigates implausibly or that navigation goes untracked - An animal or non-human character's position, attention, or behavior is dropped ### ENVIRONMENT & ATMOSPHERE ON SCREEN What would a camera see? Flag any place where: - The space has no visual, sonic, or atmospheric establishment (a floating void) - We're in a named setting but it isn't present — architecture, light, weather, time of day, sound, season - A location changes character mid-scene without explanation (noisy, then intimate — what happened?) - Props or furniture are used without being established (a letter picked up that was never placed on the desk) ### EMOTIONAL REGISTER — WHAT THE CAMERA CATCHES Would a skilled actor playing each character know what they're feeling here? Flag: - A character reacting to significant news/confrontation/revelation with no visible response - Emotions named in narration but not shown in body, face, or behavior - A secondary character present for an emotionally charged moment with no reaction (they are furniture) - Physical response inconsistent with the moment (calm body when panic would read) ### INTERNAL DEBATE — THE VOICEOVER TEST For the POV character, flag any beat where: - A significant decision is made with no visible internal deliberation - They observe something suspicious and don't process it internally - They're in conflict (want two things; don't want what they're about to do) and that conflict is absent from the narration - A chance to show reasoning, doubt, or self-contradiction is missed - The reader is ahead of the POV character, who seems not to process what the reader can see ### WHAT PLAYS PERFECTLY 1–3 specific moments that would land fully on screen — name them so they're protected. ### DEFECT SUMMARY | Defect | Location (quote or beat) | Severity: STOP / FIX / NOTE | |--------|--------------------------|------------------------------| | [blocking gap] | "[quote]" | STOP / FIX / NOTE | | [missing character] | [beat] | STOP / FIX / NOTE | | [environment void] | [beat] | STOP / FIX / NOTE | | [emotional absence] | "[quote]" | STOP / FIX / NOTE | | [internal debate missing] | [beat] | STOP / FIX / NOTE | STOP = breaks the scene; must fix before submission FIX = weakens the scene; should fix before submission NOTE = worth revisiting; optional improvement ``` ## STEP 3 — Chapter / Pass Summary ``` # CINEMATIC AUDIT — PASS SUMMARY ## CRITICAL DEFECTS (STOP-level — fix before submission) All STOP defects across the pass with chapter reference. ## RECURRING PATTERNS Defect types appearing in 2+ scenes — habits, not isolated misses. Name the pattern and the chapters where it appears. ## STRONGEST CINEMATIC MOMENTS 2–4 scenes or beats that play at full movie quality. Name them by chapter. ## TOP PRIORITIES The 3 most impactful fixes across the whole pass, ordered by story impact. ``` ## Severity definitions - **STOP** — a reader (or viewer) would stop and be confused: continuity break, impossible blocking, a forgotten character, a scene with no established location, an emotional absence during a major revelation. - **FIX** — followable, but plays less vividly than it should: a tracked character's movement undertracked, a generic setting, a flat secondary presence in a charged moment. - **NOTE** — the scene works; an opportunity to deepen, not a flaw. ## What this skill does NOT do - Not line-level craft, filter words, or immersion quality → `manuscript-prose-immersion-audit`. - Not canon/consistency defects → `manuscript-continuity-audit`. - Not mystery logic / clue fairness → `manuscript-fair-play-audit`. - Not marketability / acquisitions → `manuscript-publisher-critique`. - Not rewriting prose → the author's writing/voice skill. Its sole job: **does this scene play on a big screen?** ## Tracking notes (pull specifics from the profile) - **Characters with spatial/mobility/sensory traits.** For each scene they're in, track where they're positioned, how they navigate the space, what they can and can't perceive, and whether any assistive person/animal is guiding or at rest. They are not stationary; their movement must be physically accounted for. - **Animal / non-human characters.** A working animal in a scene is not a prop. Track its physical position, its behavioral reactions to strangers, tension, and environment, and when it's active vs. settled. It shouldn't vanish for long stretches. - **Ensemble scenes.** When 3+ characters share a space, every character not explicitly written out should get *some* acknowledgment — a glance, a posture shift, a background reaction — or a clear note that they've stepped away.