Locked Pages and Revisions
When a script is distributed to cast, crew, and department heads, the page numbers become "locked." From that point on, any changes must follow industry revision rules so that everyone can track exactly what changed and where.
What locking means
Locking captures the current page layout as a fixed baseline. After locking:
- Page numbers don't shift when you add or remove content
- New content that overflows a page creates "A-pages" instead of pushing everything down
- Lines you change during a revision are marked so readers can spot them instantly
This system exists because dozens of people are working from copies of your script. If you add a paragraph on page 15 and that causes pages 16 through 120 to shift, everyone's notes, bookmarks, and scene breakdowns become useless. Locked pages prevent that.
How to lock pages
Open the command palette (Cmd+K) and run Lock pages. After you confirm, the current pagination becomes your locked baseline.
Once locked, the status bar shows a Locked indicator with the page count you locked at.
What happens after locking
A-pages
If you add new content to page 15 and it overflows beyond the original page boundary, the extra content goes onto page 15A. If you add even more, it becomes 15B, and so on.
Page 16 stays page 16. Nothing downstream shifts.
When your scenes are numbered, page numbering is anchored per scene, so changes to one scene don't ripple through the rest of the script. Number your scenes before you lock: without scene numbers, only the pages that run past the end of the locked script get A-page labels.
Revision colors
Each revision pass gets its own color. To start one, open Revisions from the More menu (or the command palette) and click the Start button, which names the color you will get. Premiere picks the next color for you, in this order:
- White
- Blue
- Pink
- Yellow
- Green
- Goldenrod
- Buff
- Salmon
- Cherry
- Tan
After Tan, the order starts again from White. On a physical production, revised pages are printed on that color of paper so they stand out in the script binder. While a revision is active, the PDF you export is tinted with its color and, unless you have set up a custom header, the page header names the revision (for example, BLUE REVISED).
Revision marks
While a revision is active, every line you edit is stamped with its color. Stamped lines show a small asterisk (*) in the right margin, and in the editor a colored stripe down their left edge. This tells the reader "this line was changed in a revision" without them having to compare against the previous version word by word. When a revision is finished, lock it in the Revisions panel and further edits stop being stamped with its color.
Unlocking pages
If you need to start over with a fresh page layout (for example, if you locked too early and want to do a major rewrite), run Unlock pages from the command palette, or click the Locked indicator in the status bar. Clicking the indicator unlocks straight away, without asking. Unlocking resets page numbering back to standard sequential numbers.
Why this matters
Locked pages and revision colors are how the entire production department tracks changes. The 2nd AD uses them to update the shooting schedule. The script supervisor uses them to track continuity. The prop master uses them to catch new or changed props. The actors use them to learn new dialogue.
When everyone has a binder with the original white pages plus colored revision pages, a single glance tells them which pages are current and which revision they're looking at. This system has been the standard in film and television for decades, and Premiere.Studio follows it.