Quick Start Guide

This guide walks you through your first session with PRISM -- from creating a project to writing your first screenplay and running AI features.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A running PRISM instance (local, dev, or production -- see Environments)
  • A user account (created via the login page or OAuth)
  • Python 3.12+ and PostgreSQL 15+ if running locally

If you are running locally, start the development server first (see the Installation guide for setup). The application will be available at http://localhost:5002.

Step 1: Create Your First Project

PRISM uses a three-level hierarchy to organize work:

Organization (your company or team)
  Production (a film, series, or project)
    Script (an individual screenplay)

The Project Wizard

Navigate to the Project Wizard at /wizard/ (or click "New Project" from the dashboard). The wizard creates the entire hierarchy in a single atomic operation.

Step 0 -- Select or Create an Organization

If you already belong to one or more organizations, you will see them as selectable cards. If you have no organizations yet, PRISM automatically creates a personal organization for you. If you belong to exactly one organization, this step is skipped.

Step 1 -- Name Your Production

Enter a production name (e.g., "The Last Horizon") and select a production type:

Type Use Case
feature_film Full-length narrative films
short Short films and sketches
series Episodic content and web series
documentary Non-fiction and documentary projects
commercial Ads and promotional content
news_broadcast News and journalism
other Anything else

Step 2 -- Name Your Script

Optionally give the script a different name from the production. If you leave this blank, it defaults to the production name.

Click Create Project and PRISM will create the organization (if needed), production, and script in one transaction. You are redirected to the screenplay editor immediately.

Start Building Your World

After creating a project, you have two paths:

World-builder path: Head to the Characters and Locations pages first. Design your characters (appearance, voice, personality), build your locations, and let the metadata pool grow. When you're ready, the AI writing pipeline can generate screenplay content drawing from all that rich context.

Writer's path: If you already have a screenplay, paste Fountain text or import an FDX file directly. PRISM catches up by extracting characters, identifying scenes and locations, and building the metadata ecosystem from your script.

Both paths converge at the same place -- a production with a rich metadata ecosystem that feeds AI tools, annotations, storyboards, and production documents.

Step 2: Write Your First Screenplay

PRISM uses the Fountain markup format -- a plain-text syntax designed for screenwriters. You do not need to learn the entire specification to get started. Here are the basics:

Fountain Format Essentials

Scene Headings begin with INT., EXT., or INT./EXT. and are automatically recognized:

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT

Action lines are any paragraph that is not a scene heading, character name, or dialogue:

The door swings open. Sarah steps inside, shaking rain from her coat.

Character Names are written in ALL CAPS on their own line, followed by dialogue:

SARAH
I didn't expect to see you here.

JAMES
(surprised)
Neither did I.

Parentheticals appear between the character name and dialogue, wrapped in parentheses as shown above.

Transitions are right-aligned lines ending with TO::

CUT TO:

FADE TO BLACK.

Title Page elements use Key: Value format at the top of the script:

Title: The Last Horizon
Author: Jane Smith
Draft date: 2026-02-19

PRISM extends standard Fountain with structural sections (# ACT ONE, ## SEQUENCE A) and forced headings (.TITLE CARD: CHAPTER 1). These are optional and not required for basic use.

The Screenplay Editor

The editor renders your Fountain text into properly formatted screenplay pages in real time. Key features:

  • Line numbers in the left gutter for reference
  • Scene numbers automatically assigned to scene headings
  • Character highlighting with colored dialogue blocks (character glow)
  • Version history with Git-style database-backed version control

Step 3: Explore the Key UI Elements

Dashboard

The dashboard (/) shows all productions you have access to, organized by organization. From here you can:

  • Open existing scripts
  • Access the Project Wizard to create new projects
  • View production status and workflow stage

Screenplay Preview

The main screenplay view (/projects/<project>/preview/<script>) is where you spend most of your time. It includes:

  • The formatted screenplay in the center
  • Annotation gutter on the left (colored dots for notes, questions, action items)
  • The Inspector sidebar on the right (toggle with the I key)
  • A toolbar with workflow stage, version controls, and export options

Inspector Sidebar

Press I or click the Inspector button in the header to open the context-sensitive sidebar. It has four tabs:

Tab When It Activates What It Shows
Scene Cursor on a scene heading or action line Scene breakdown, storyboard frames, shots, schedule
Character Cursor on a character name or dialogue Character profile, dialogue statistics, appearances
Story Always available Logline-to-outline pipeline, script analysis, draft generation
AI Text selected or opened manually AI caller, enhancement and rewrite actions

The Inspector responds to your cursor position -- move through the screenplay and the sidebar updates automatically.

Step 4: Set Up AI Features

PRISM integrates with multiple AI providers for screenplay assistance, storyboard generation, and more. There are two ways to enable AI:

Option A: Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)

Note: You do not need your own API keys to try AI features. If no keys are configured, PRISM falls back to built-in models automatically (see Option B below).

Add your API keys through the user profile or environment variables:

Provider Environment Variable Features
OpenAI OPENAI_API_KEY Screenplay enhancement, dialogue rewriting
Anthropic ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Script analysis, story development
Google GEMINI_API_KEY AI assistance, evaluation

Option B: Built-in Model Fallback

If no user API keys are configured, PRISM falls back to built-in models that provide basic text and image generation at no additional cost to the user.

Using AI Features

Once configured, AI features are available throughout the application:

  • Inspector AI tab: Select text in the screenplay and open the AI tab for enhancement, rewriting, or analysis
  • Context menu: Right-click a scene heading to generate storyboard frames
  • Story tab: Use the logline-to-outline pipeline to develop story structure
  • Storyboard generation: AI creates visual frames from scene descriptions, viewable in the Inspector Scene tab and the Storyboard Split Pane

Step 5: Understand the Workflow

PRISM follows a five-stage Hollywood production workflow:

Development --> Prep --> Production --> Post --> Complete

Each stage has substages (20 total). Your new project starts in Development: Concept. As you write and refine your screenplay, you advance through the development substages:

concept --> treatment --> outline --> draft --> polish --> greenlight

After reaching Prep: Lock, the script enters revision mode using Hollywood revision colors (White, Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, and so on).

Next Steps

Now that you have a project and understand the basics, explore these areas:

See Also