There are several conventions when numbering cues for your project. The oldest was simply keeping a running tally of each cue i.e. M001, M002, M003 and so on. The M stands for Music, so this would indicate music cue 1, music cue 2, music cue 3 etc.
At some point a new convention became popular, starting with the reel or act number, then the letter M, then the cue number within that reel or act, for example 1m01, 1m02, 1m03, 2m01, 2m02, 2m03 etc. This system is still very popular and effective. It’s easy to see how many cues are in each reel or act using this system.
Finally, a variation on this system became popular, combining both of the above conventions. In this system the reel or act number is first, then M for music and then a continually escalating number for each cue like so: 1m01, 1m02, 1m03, 2m04, 2m05, 2m06 and so on.
In my entire career I haven’t seen the old serial system in use except when looking up old cue sheets for Bride of Frankenstein (1935) & The Wolf Man (1941). So I think it’s safe to say nobody uses it anymore.
I prefer the latter method for two main reasons. First, it makes it impossible to have 1m2 and 2m1, which can be easily confused, especially when it’s late and you’re tired and trying to beat a deadline, or if you’re dyslexic. Second, it’s not uncommon to re-balance reels after cue numbers have been assigned and using the latter system you can simply change 1m07 to 2m07 to indicate the cue that used to be at the end of reel 1 is now at the top of reel 2. It’s still cue 07, and always will be.
I also like using leading zeros when numbering cues (i.e. 1m01 not 1m1). This makes sure things are always sorted properly when looking at file names on my computer or using any database system I may be using to help manage my projects.
A few more conventions I like:
If a cue is added between cues, I will number it as the cue that precedes it and add a letter to the cue number. For example, if a cue is added between 2m04 & 2m05 I’ll call it 2m04A. If another is added between 2m04A & 2m05 I’ll call it 2m04B and so on. If a cue is added between 2m04A & 2m04B it can be 2m04AA or 2m04A2 – thankfully that’s an extremely rare occurrence.
If a composer choses to split up a cue into parts, I use the same convention. For example if 3m24 is split up into 3 distinct cues they will become 3m24A, 3m24B and 3m24C.
Finally, I like to have a quick visual in the cue number that lets me know if it is underscore for the composer to write, a needle-drop (source or song) or on-camera production (i.e. someone singing on camera). I don’t do anything for score cues. I add an “s” for needle-drop to indicate it is a song or source cue (i.e. 4m43s) and I add a “p” for production cues (i.e. 6m72p).
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.