> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ozu.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ozu Consult

> Ozu is the optional AI clarifier — a short dialogue that refines your script before the full analysis runs.

After you submit a script to the Script Node, Ozu offers an optional step: a brief conversation with **Ozu**, an AI clarifier that reads your script and asks a handful of short questions. Ozu's job is to sharpen ambiguous details before the full analysis runs — so the scenes, shots, and beats it extracts are tighter.

You can skip Ozu at any time and go straight to analysis.

## What Ozu does

Ozu reads your script, reacts to what it sees, and asks 2–5 focused questions. The questions are the kind a director might ask before pre-production:

* *"Is Sarah's apartment in a city or a small town?"*
* *"Is this set in the present day, or somewhere else in time?"*
* *"Should the barista be the same age as Sarah, or older?"*
* *"What does Sarah carry with her when she leaves?"*

You answer in your own words. Ozu uses your answers to enrich the analysis — adding physical traits, setting details, and relationships the script didn't explicitly state.

<Tip>
  **Ozu is a dialogue, not a form.** Keep answers conversational. "Present day, Brooklyn, mid-winter" is plenty. You don't need to write paragraphs.
</Tip>

## When to use Ozu

Ozu earns its keep when your script has gaps. Skip it when your script is already precise.

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use Ozu when">
    Your script is an early draft, a treatment, a prose description, or a loose outline. Ozu fills in details the page never states.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Skip Ozu when">
    Your script is a finished screenplay with confident scene headings, action, and dialogue. Ozu's questions will mostly echo what's already on the page.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## How the consult flows

1. **Submit your script.** Paste or upload it in the Script Node's input stage.

2. **Ozu reads.** The first read takes a few seconds. You'll see a reaction message as Ozu processes what you sent.

3. **Questions arrive one at a time.** Ozu asks a question; you answer; next question. Questions appear in a chat bubble UI.

4. **Hand it over or skip at any point.** Ozu offers a **Skip** button if you want to jump straight to analysis. You can also say something like "you handle the rest" and Ozu will close the consult.

5. **Tap NEXT.** When the questions are finished, a pulsing **Next** button appears. Tap it to kick off the full analysis.

The consult typically takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on how many questions Ozu has and how detailed your answers are.

## What happens after you answer

Once you finish the consult (or skip it), the Script Node runs its full analysis. Ozu's answers are merged into the analysis — so if you told Ozu the setting is winter, the Set node's description will reflect that, and the wardrobe hints for Actors will lean warmer.

Your answers don't become hard rules. Ozu still analyzes the script itself; Ozu's input is additional context, not a replacement for what the page says.

## If Ozu hits a snag

Occasionally Ozu can't read your script cleanly — network hiccup, an unusually formatted file, a very long input. When that happens, Ozu retries once on its own. If the retry also fails, you'll be returned to the input stage with an error message and can try again or skip the consult.

<Warning>
  **Ozu isn't mandatory**

  If Ozu struggles, don't get stuck. Skip to full analysis and adjust the extracted structure in the Script Node's analysis view.
</Warning>

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Writing Your Script" href="/user/script/writing-your-script">
    How to format a script so the Ozu consult has less work to do.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Analysis Results" href="/user/script/analysis-results">
    What comes out the other side after Ozu and the full analysis run.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scene, Shot, Beat" href="/user/concepts/scene-shot-beat">
    The structure Ozu's consult helps Ozu extract cleanly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Getting Started" href="/user/getting-started">
    The full first-project walkthrough — Ozu included.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## FAQ

**Do I have to use Ozu?**
No. The Skip button is there the whole time. Analysis runs with or without the consult.

**Does Ozu cost credits?**
Yes — Ozu's reads and replies consume a small amount of credits because they're real AI calls. The cost is typically a small fraction of a full pipeline. If you cancel mid-consult, only what Ozu already processed counts.

**How many questions will Ozu ask?**
Usually 2–5, depending on how much ambiguity it finds. Ozu tells you upfront how many to expect.

**Can I change my answers later?**
Not inside the consult — once you've sent an answer, Ozu moves on. But the analysis results are fully editable in the Script Node's analysis view. You can adjust scenes, shots, beats, Actors, Props, and Sets after Ozu finishes.

**What if I realize I gave Ozu a wrong answer?**
Finish the consult, then edit the affected Actor, Prop, or Set node directly. Or re-submit the script and start over.

**Is Ozu the same thing as the Script Node?**
No. Ozu is one stage *inside* the Script Node — the clarifier that runs between input and analysis. When people say "Ozu" they mean this consult step.

**Does Ozu remember my previous scripts?**
Each Ozu consult is per-script. It reads the script you just submitted and asks questions about that script. It does not carry memory from other projects.