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How to group background

Updated by Herman Phillips

A background group is a set of background performers who share something on a shoot day, so you can plan, count, and cost them together. Groups are how the Background Manager works out an accurate headcount and cost. Anything scheduled on a day that isn't in a group yet shows under Ungrouped BG.

Most productions group background by name or category, then rename each group to match how they'll run it on the day, such as its call time or anything else the group shares. For example, you might name a group "BG Group 1 - 8AM".

Auto-group

  1. Open the Background Manager and pick a shoot day.
  2. Click Auto-group, then choose how to group under Group by: Category, Name, Scene, INT/EXT, or Set.

To group every day at once, click Auto-group (all days) in the left sidebar.

Good to know:

  • Auto-group only groups background that's still ungrouped. Your existing groups aren't touched.
  • Groups never mix categories, minors with adults, or stand-ins with regular background.
  • Elements missing the value you grouped by go into a catch-all group, like (No scene) or (No set).

Create a group yourself

  1. Under Ungrouped BG, tick the elements you want. Use Shift-click to select a range, or Ctrl/Cmd-click to add or remove one.
  2. Click Create BG group, or use Move to to add them to an existing group.

You can select elements from one category at a time, and minors are grouped separately from adults.

Edit groups

  • Rename: open the ⋮ menu on the group and choose Rename, or click the pencil next to the name. Use names that help on the day, like "BG Group 1 - 8AM". Group names must be unique.
  • Move elements: select elements inside a group and use Move to, or drag them by the grip onto another group (or back to Ungrouped BG). You can only move elements into a group with the same category.
  • Split a group: select some of its elements and click Split group. They become a new group.
  • Reorder groups: drag a group by its handle.
  • Ungroup: open the ⋮ menu and choose Ungroup to send its elements back to Ungrouped BG. To clear every group on the day, use Ungroup all.

You can also change an element's quantity right from the list by hovering over it. This updates your breakdown sheet too, so it needs breakdown edit access.

Group changes can be undone with Undo.

Need more help? Email us at support@cinapse.io, or ask the help assistant using the chat button in this Help Center.