Script Supervisor

[Reddkryten]

Hi there. I'm just wondering, does anyone know anything about script supervising?

Yesterday I was scrupervising a scene, I was paying close attention to the positions of the props, the actors moves, the level of the wine glass etc and I think I was doing a pretty good job. However after the take the sound recordist came up to me and said that the actors had just missed a few lines from the script. I had been paying so much attention to the movements that I hadn't looked at the script.

So I decided to change that, after that mistake I paid very close attention to the script...so much so that I didn't notice a change in the actresses hair...dammit.

Does anyone know how to do this, how to look at the script, while also looking at the scene? I only have one pair of eyes.

My second question is about the notes. I usually keep my notes in the form of symbols like

:)>

means the actors head turns right. The problem I have is, how do I keep track of which line in the script this takes place on? At the moment I am writing

:)> = "he ran"

but I was wondering if there is a faster way of transcribing that information.
One person suggested writing the continuity notes on the script, the problem I have with this is, usually the first few takes are useless (booms in frame etc) so if I wrote in the script, then I'd run out of room for takes 4, 5 and 6.

Has anyone else done this, any tips and tricks?

[Koolpenguin89]

Does anyone know how to do this, how to look at the script, while also looking at the scene? I only have one pair of eyes.

The obvious answer is for you to memorize the script, so you can watch the scene while listening to the actors lines. Whether or not you can do that, however, is up to you.

Dylan

[Reddkryten]

Hi there. Yeah, memorizing the script would be great and solve a world of problems, the only thing about that is far too often I get the script five minutes before shooting (which is tonnes of fun I assure you).

[Blaman]

Script supervisor's job is not easy. It seems they rarely get a chance to memorize the script on low budget films. Just the other day I saw an actor pull a minor Christian Bale on continuity for not being able to feed him his line quickly enough. I could not help but laugh at that, thinking "wait, your pissed because he did not memorize your lines?"

[Reddkryten]

LOL I can just imagine continuity Christian Bale style:

"you're unbelievable ya know that. Am I gonna have to move your f****** props around, am I gonna have to change costume so I walk in with a green shirt all ah-da-da-da-da and then sit down wearing a blue one? Gimme a f****** answer!"

[TreasureBox Films]

I got an idea.
Get another person.

[Reddkryten]

A very good idea...in theory. However since I can't even get the script before shooting, getting someone else is not really an option.

[srinimadhavan]

OK I think there are two options. Firstly you could memorise the scenes that you are going to shoot that day. this is what has been suggested already.

Secondly, you could make notes in the margins of the script, so that you only have your eyes on the same page. Also then you can align the notes to the corresponding line and this also means your dilemma of missing lines should go.

Hope that helps

[grandadmiral]

Get yourself another person, that is like your assistant. So when you get your script, that person will already be with you and ready to shoot.

[punkandska66]

Is it really that important that the actors get every single line down perfectly? A lot of good can come from improv.

[grandadmiral]

Is it really that important that the actors get every single line down perfectly? A lot of good can come from improv.


He does make a valid point, some of the stuff on film came from improv.

[google550]

Is it really that important that the actors get every single line down perfectly? A lot of good can come from improv.

But it's also important that the filmmaker gets enough coverage for each line. If you miss a line for a certain setup, there may not be any going back.

[punkandska66]

But it's also important that the filmmaker gets enough coverage for each line. If you miss a line for a certain setup, there may not be any going back.

Oh, definitely. It's always good to have extra coverage of everything. But improvisation isn't a bad thing. And of course, you could always let your actors improv, just because you never know what will happen, and A) It's good, keep it. B) It's bad, go by the script.

[Reddkryten]

hi there.

I see what you are saying about improv, it can create great performances. But I'm not trying to get the actors word perfect to the script. If the script says "John and I went to visit Jack" but the actress says "I went with John to visit Jack" what difference does it make.

What I am worried about is major problems.

Yesterday, we almost missed the lines which caused an argument later on, the woman says that it was all his fault. Without those lines, the rest of the scene doesn't make any sense.
Another film I was working on had a guy grab a woman by her hair, which made her pull a gun on him. On the day of shooting, the director wanted him to be very calm and laid back, so no hair pull...so now she has no reason to pull out a gun.

Ya see what I mean? I'm not trying to be a script Nazi, I'm just trying to make sure we don't make any major mistakes which can't be corrected.

srinimadhavan you kinda gave me an idea. I find that if I write in the script directly, then the script gets cluttered very quickly. But you said about aligning, I could easily get a notebook which is the same size as the script, align it with the script. Then if I have to check my notes, I just have to put the script and the notebook side by side and everything should line up...nice.

[google550]

If the script says "John and I went to visit Jack" but the actress says "I went with John to visit Jack" what difference does it make.

That's a horrible example. Switching those two characters around might imply a different relationship with one another, or cause a great deal of confusion. What if Jack was the main character's psychotic brother in a mental institution? And John was our main character's husband? It wouldn't make any sense if you switched them around.

The script supervisor's job is to know the script backwards and forwards, and if a line IS missed, to alert the cast/crew and get another take for it. So in a way, yes, the script supervisor's job is to be a script Nazi.

[Reddkryten]

Okay you're right, it is a poor example. The exact example I was thinking of was "McGuire and me got away from the police" in some takes the actress said "Me and McGuire." There were also a few contractions that I ignored "we will be in touch" became "we'll be in touch."
We were running late and the difference those two things made to the story was minimal, so I let them slide.

[koradin]

Improv can be nice, but it will only work well if the actors can repeat the same lines they improved over and over again, allowing the director to film everything he needs from each angle. If the actors aren't capable of that then best to avoid improv and just stick to the script. If actors still insist on trying to improv, then it’s down to the director to stop them.

A lot of script supervisors use cameras to help them with their job. Keep taking photos of everything, at each stage and check them for consistency, which can help a lot with continuity. Another option is get a pack of post-it notes and write everything down and stick them to each page of the script, don’t write on the script as things may change especially were improve is concerned.

The job of a script supervisor can be a nightmare, either you start the job with good observation skills and a good memory or you quickly develop them. Or else you end up finding less and less job as script supervisor. Perhaps try some memory/observation improving techniques, or invest in a cheap digital/polaroid camera.

Another film I was working on had a guy grab a woman by her hair, which made her pull a gun on him. On the day of shooting, the director wanted him to be very calm and laid back, so no hair pull...so now she has no reason to pull out a gun.
You example here isn't really a script supervisors problem, their job to point it out but not their fault when it all goes wrong. The problem is the directors an idiot, who obviously hasn't taken the time read and understand the script properly. If he wanted changes like this to be made the script should be re-written making sure all the appropriate changes are made throughout the entire script, so the story still makes sense.

Koradin

[scripty]

"There is a reason Hollywood hates method acting, it doesn't cut." As Koradin said above, "Improv can be nice, but it will only work well if the actors can repeat the same lines they improved over and over again, allowing the director to film everything he needs from each angle. If the actors aren't capable of that then best to avoid improv and just stick to the script. If actors still insist on trying to improv, then it’s down to the director to stop them."

A wise script supervisor knows their limits and what is reasonable. It is script's job to watch blocking but there are limits to this. When it is such that you are listening back to takes w/ sound, transcribing, running dialogue just "rewritten" by the actors improvising and they still aren't matching, the director must rein it in or shoot around it. For instance, you shoot around Marlon Brando. The actors & director and perhaps writer should have rehearsed and worked this out before shooting. Even the most excellent script supervisor is not a marionette.

One makes notes such as arrows for left, right, up, down, etc. over the dialogue in the script itself, in pencil. One can use colored pencils or make a # next to symbol for the take. Later in coverage one can match the circled take. Notes are also made on the opposite or facing page of the script, in great detail. Talents for visual & auditory memory, observation skills, and obsessive notes are a given. Keep your finger on the dialogue as you watch the scene, glancing down and following, making quick notes and keeping your eyes as much in front of you as possible. Descriptive notes on facing page, for the editor, could have been made during blocking and set up.

The book to get is by Pat Miller,"SCRIPT SUPERVISING AND FILM CONTINUITY." The information on both pages differ, the facing pages notes are more for the editor but are used during production for info.

Notes, marks, on script itself are more for the script supervisor, however the lines w/ scene #'s assigned running thru the dialogue, straight or squiggly are for the editor as well as quick references for the script supervisor, AD & director as per coverage during production.

This is merely the tip of the iceberg. One does a one-liner breakdown for notes, reference. Take photos but all depts. are responsible for their own as well. Then there is the editor's notes, production report, pre-timings, day/night breakdown, subtext, errors in logic w/ dialogue & business, timelines, story points, all determined by either the director, script supervisor, or writer. This should be worked out in advance of principal photography. Also a thick skin, skills of a diplomat, ability to work in all kinds of conditions and hours, politics on the set, getting your next job, yadda, yadda, yadda.