Word Document Round-Trip

Introduction

Cue Pro exports Word documents in a structured format that can be re-imported with full automatic field mapping - making it possible to export ADR cue data, have it edited externally, and import the updated text back into the Event List in a single operation. This is the Word document round-trip workflow.

Many productions prefer to work with Word documents for supplying and editing ADR lines - even where a tabular format like CSV or Excel might seem more logical. The challenge is that Word documents received from external sources rarely follow a consistent structure, meaning import typically requires manual column mapping in the Import Visual Events from File window, or in the worst case, adding each cue individually through the Import Script window. Cue Pro's own exported Word format avoids this entirely. Because the document structure is known, the import process automatically maps every field - cue numbers, timecodes, character names, dialogue text, notes, scene data, and all other exported fields - without any manual intervention. The result is a clean, reliable way to get cue data out to collaborators and back in again.

This workflow is useful in a wide range of situations. Common examples include sending TBW (To Be Written) cue sheets to a script writer for new dialogue, supplying cue sheets to a translator or adaptation specialist for foreign-language versioning, distributing sheets to a director for text notes or approvals, or any other scenario where cue text needs to be reviewed or modified externally and returned. The key requirement is that the recipient edits the text content without restructuring the document itself.

Overview of the Workflow

The round-trip follows three stages:

Export - ADR cue sheets are exported from Cue Pro as Word documents using File → Export → Batch Export Events. The export layout determines which fields are included in the document. See the Exporting ADR Cue Sheets and Files chapter for full details on export settings, layout configuration, and project settings.

External editing - The Word document is sent to the recipient, who edits the text content - for example, writing new dialogue for TBW lines, entering translations, or adding notes. The document structure must be left intact.

Re-import - The edited Word document is imported back into Cue Pro using File → Import Events From File. Because Cue Pro recognises its own Word format, all fields are automatically mapped and the cues are imported as new events on the Timeline. The import does not automatically match or update existing cues - if the round-trip is being used to replace existing cue data, the old cues should be removed manually after the import.

Choosing a Layout for the Round-Trip

The layout selected during export determines which fields are included in the Word document, and therefore which fields are available during re-import. When planning a round-trip, consider what the recipient needs to see and what they need to edit.

For example, when sending TBW sheets to a script writer, the Actor layout may be sufficient - it shows the cue text and notes, which is all the writer needs to work with. When sending sheets for translation, a layout that includes Alt Text may be more appropriate so the translator can see both the original and translated text side by side.

Cue Pro ships with four default layouts - Director, Engineer, Actor and Legacy - and custom layouts can be created for specific round-trip workflows. See the Exporting ADR Cue Sheets and Files chapter for full details on layout configuration.

The Legacy Layout

The Legacy layout is provided for compatibility with ADR Master 3 and earlier versions of Cue Pro (v1.x). It uses the same field selection and arrangement as the fixed layouts from those earlier products. When exporting Word documents intended for re-import into ADR Master 3 or Cue Pro v1.x, use the Legacy layout to ensure that all fields are correctly recognised during import. Newer layouts include fields that were added after those products' layouts were defined, and these additional fields would not be mapped on import.

What the Recipient Can and Cannot Change

For the re-import to work correctly, the recipient must leave the document structure intact. This means:

Safe to edit - the text content within each cue's fields. The recipient can freely modify dialogue text, notes, engineering notes, alt text, and any other text content that appears within the cue layout. Text formatting (bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, text colour) is preserved through the round-trip.

Must not change - the overall document structure, including the order and arrangement of cue blocks, field labels, scene separator bars, headers, footers, and page layout. Adding, removing, or rearranging cue blocks will cause the re-import to fail or produce incorrect results.

In practice, this is straightforward - the recipient simply types into the existing fields and saves the document.

Scene Data in the Round-Trip

Where a Scene Guide Track is present in the project, scene numbers and descriptions are included in the exported Word document as scene separator bars. Word exports include all scenes from the Scene Guide Track regardless of whether they contain cues - this ensures the complete scene structure is preserved through the round-trip. On re-import, the scene data is read back and used to rebuild the SCENES track on the receiving Timeline.

Re-Importing the Edited Word Document

To re-import an edited Word document, go to File → Import Events From File and select the .docx file.

The Import Visual Events from File window appears. Because Cue Pro recognises its own Word export format, the column mapping is fixed and automatic - there is no need to manually assign field headings. The top section of the window shows the parsed cue data with all fields correctly identified.

In the import settings at the bottom of the window, set the If no Event Type Column is Present, Import Events as: field to ADR Cue.

Set the Text Encoding to UTF-8 unless a different encoding was used during export.

If the timecodes in the imported file need offsetting - for example, if the cue sheet references a different start hour than the current Timeline - enter the offset value in the Offset Imported Cues by field.

Click Import Events to import all cues into the Timeline in bulk. Character Tracks are created or matched automatically for each character in the file, and ADR Cues are created with all their fields populated from the Word document.

Alternatively, click Import Events as Script to review and add each cue individually through the Import Script window.

TBW Round-Trip

A common use of the Word round-trip is supplying TBW (To Be Written) cue sheets to a script writer. When cues are marked as TBW in the Event List, the Batch Export automatically generates separate TBW-only sheets in a TBW subfolder within the Word export folder. These sheets contain only the characters that have TBW cues, making them ready to send directly to the writer.

The script writer adds new dialogue text to each TBW cue in the Word document and returns the file. On re-import, the cues from the Word document are imported as new events. After reviewing the imported cues and confirming the new dialogue is correct, the original TBW cues can be removed and the TBW flag on each imported cue can be manually unchecked to confirm the line has been written.