Los Angeles Script Supervisors Job

Jessica Jordan - Los Angeles Script Supervisor (310) 979-8889

Script Supervisors Job

A Script Supervisor's job is important both on and off set and is split into two main functions:

* Keeping continuity of wardrobe, art, makeup, actors, camera angles, dialogue, scene coverage.

* Taking notes for the editors so they can quickly locate the shots they're looking for.

In filming a script out of sequence, weeks and sometimes months can pass between the shooting of back to back scenes in a story. Keeping continuity insures that all wardrobe, hair, makeup, props and camera angles from Scene 24 shot today, match those of scene 23 which was shot 3 weeks ago.

Ex: An actress in the office (Scene 88), walks out the door to the hall (Scene 89) which we shot last week. However last week her scarf was untied as she walked through the hall. Before we shoot the office scene, I suggest to wardrobe and the director to untie the scarf, or to start with it tied, and have her untie it during the scene before she walks out the door into the hall.

In this way, a script supervisor functions as a safety net for the other creative departments on set. Though wardrobe keeps a record of this in their continuity book, the script supervisor is there to double check the information. A wardrober might also ask the script supervisor, "Did she have her jacket in the car Scene?" And I will have to come up with an answer because I took notes on every detail of the Scene, from what color the props were and where the characters put them, to what color lipstick she wore, and what camera direction she looked toward the burning tree in case the camera person needs a reminder.

An actor might ask, "What line did I take a drink on, and what hand was the drink in?"

The set dresser might ask, "Which picture did we use in the mansion scene?" The reason they might not know is because the director changed his/her mind several times or they used one picture for the first three takes and a different picture for the remaining seven. Shooting can move very quickly and it's up to the script supervisor to know the answer to all these questions.

The editor may call and say "Scene 28 isn't cutting together very easily, can you tell the unit we need some inserts of Nick putting his hand in the money drawer?" Since the director is so busy answering a million questions a day, the scripty is sometimes the sole source of communication between the editor and the director. Scripties frequently note on their script pages exactly which parts of which takes the director liked because otherwise, the editor won't know, and s/he'll begin putting the film together without knowing which were the director's favorite takes.

Giving the 2nd Assistant Cameraman as well as the Sound Mixer a scene and take number insures that the post house will be able to easily find the right piece of film to go with its matching sound. Likewise, if there's a misslate or a no slate I write this in the notes so the editors won't spend needless time looking for film or sound that isn't there.

TAKING NOTES FOR THE EDITORS

In addition to the rigorous on-set job of keeping continuity of visual elements in the movie/commercial/TV show, the script supervisor also has the challenging job of writing down the information for every angle of every scene and take during shooting. Why is this so important? After a long feature length film, or even a short commercial, there can be upwards of 160,000 feet of film. How would you like to be the one to sort through it to find a single 3 second shot? This is why filmmakers slate as a means of visually marking on film the place where the shot begins. This way they can keep track not only of where each shot begins, on what reel it's located, and how long it lasted, but also, what happened with each particular take that was different from the others. Filmmakers don't just roll the camera and send it to the editor to include in the movie. Because sound and film are recorded independent of one another, the script supervisor gives a scene and take number to the camera's slate and to sound so the editor can match the film with the sound in telecine and post production. The editor will see in the script notes that the butterfly taking off was slated Scene 30C, it was on camera roll 11 and sound roll 6 and that there are 3 takes of that shot to choose from, but the 2nd take was incomplete because the flower fell over, and the 3rd take was the director's absolute favorite as well as the Director of Photography's. How does the editor know all of this? The script supervisor's notes.

SAMPLES OF WORK

If you are a filmmaker looking for a script supervisor and would like to see samples of the work I do, call me for an interview. A really good script supervisor can save a production so much money - I would be happy to point out the ways my notes will do this for your show! I work locally in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and the San Francisco Bay Area and also have a passport and am ready to travel. English is my first language, but I can squeak by in Italian and Arabic if that is a help to the show.

Script Note Examples Include:

Lined Script Pages
Description Pages (aka "Facing Page")
Daily Editor's Logs
Breakdowns:
  One Liners
  Character Breakdown
  Wardrobe, Makeup, Hair, Appearance Breakdown
  Character with Sets List
  Vehicles Breakdown
  Time Frame
  Props Breakdown
  Sets Breakdown
  Sets Detail
  Shots Still Owed
  Wild Sound List
  Effects Breakdown
  Questions / Comments to Director & Crew
  Continuity By Scene Breakdown
  Page Count & Screen Time Breakdown
End of Day Report (aka "Daily Report" or "Wrap Report" handed in to the Assistant Directors)

If you are a new script supervisor, or just wanting to break into the profession, have a job on a student film, or otherwise want to help friends making a movie, looking at these samples is a great start. Though it is not recommended that an untrained script supervisor take responsibility for a whole feature film or commercial without proper training, if you do find that you have been asked to do the job, this package is the way to go. It will enable a first time script supervisor to see which information needs to be recorded and in what format, and includes all the blank forms to copy and work from, as well as filled out forms as examples. This is really the baptism-by-fire way to go, and it is recommended that in addition to studying this package, you find a good director of photography (DP), or editor to go over the concept of 'screen direction' - also called 'the center line' or the '180° line'. This can be a difficult topic to grasp, so don't be shy about asking knowledgeable production people to go over and over the concept until you get it. It is very important.

The Feature Film / TV Drama package available for purchase below includes all the examples listed above. It also contains a brief description and example of 'screen direction' - a key thing script supervisors watch for to guard against reshoots. A set of all necessary blank forms will also be provided to xerox and work from.

The Commercial Package below contains Marked up Script / Storyboard pages for commercials, as well as the Script Note Log unique to commercials. A lighting schematic, end of day production report, and explanation of screen direction is also included. This method should be applied to commercials & infomercials only, as it is a different method than that used on feature films and TV drama. A set of all necessary blank forms will also be provided to xerox and work from.

The packages are e-mailed in 3 separate files, and can be viewed on a PC or MAC with the free Adobe Reader (common on most computers). If you don't already have the Adobe Reader, get it free at Adobe's website.

$35.00	Feature Film / TV Drama Package
$35.00	Commercial Package

The above buttons allow you to securely purchase the packages online with a credit card or e-check. Note, e-checks can take 3-4 business days to clear - credit cards go through right away. Or, if you are more comfortable sending a check through the mail, e-mail me for snail mail information. Response time to a package order is usually within 5 hours. Or call me at (310) 979-8889 to let me know you will be ordering the package for even quicker response time.

These script notes will make you very popular with the editors and director! All examples are very clear and professionally done with Continuity Software for Script Supervisors - highly recommended! The Continuity Software website is located at www.scriptsupervisor.biz.

Script supervisors help insure against reshoots. They double check the subtleties of the wardrobe, props, the positions of the actors so they will match from angle to angle. They watch the 'screen direction' so that the editor has the most choices in the cutting room. These elements are not 'luxuries' or 'nice-to-haves', they are necessities. Few things can ruin the tone of action in a perfectly good movie than an actor with his arm resting on his hip, off his hip, on his hip from cut to cut all within two seconds of screen time. When this happens, the audience knows something is wrong. They're not thinking about the story anymore, they're subtly noticing that the movie is technically unsound. A good script supervisor defends the on-screen time element and helps convince the audience this all really happened in two hours instead of eight months. If you're looking for a good script supervisor, write me at jjscript@gmail.com and I'll be happy to learn more about the show, or help you find a great script supervisor at the appropriate experience level for your project.

Thank you for visiting and happy filmmaking!

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Blocking & Screen Direction, Script notes for the Editor, Maintaining continuity of actors' actions, wardrobe, make-up, and props, Preparing and breaking down scripts, Production reports, Set etiquette, lingo and procedure, Master timing of scenes, Cueing dialogue for actors, Page-count systems, Shot descriptions, camera / lighting diagrams, Assigning scene and take numbers. If you want to be a script supervisor, best thing you can do is find script supervising courses in your area. Los Angeles has quite a few classes for varying lengths. Many filmmakers just starting out do not sometimes realize how much the script supervisor's lined script and continuity notes will save thousands, if not millions of dollars to the whole film production. Producers, line producers and production managers who have previously heard editors say "The scene won't cut", don't hesitate to find a very seasoned and experienced script supervisor to make sure this won't happen again. Script supervising is an art form and it can genuinely turn a good film into a great one. There is a common term 'Continuity is for sissies'. Or, "If the audience is looking at that little thing on the screen then we're in trouble". All phrases meant by the director to tell the script supervisor not to worry about such little details as how high was the drink, when the actor took a drink, etc. But what some first-timers can overlook - the story sometimes IS in the little details. It's not just a visual thing we're trying to do to make the visuals match for the editors, but also we're trying to make the story match, or 'continuous'. Continuity Software for Script Supervisors is what I use to do all shot logging, playback capture, lined script notes or 'script markup' as they call it in Australia. It's a great program and saves me at least 35-40 minutes after wrap every day from not having to battle the copy machine. The notes are so clear and precise, that once my editing team saw them, they wouldn't have it any other way. I can fit so much more information into them than I ever could writing them by hand. Not to mention the speed with which I can write them is at least 7 times faster than with pencil, pen and white out. Those red squiggly lines are so fast to do - coverage can be noted on the script in just a couple seconds. It's beautiful, plus if I make a mistake, the lines are easy to rearrange, move and undo. Script supervise, script supervisors, script supervising, continuity, lined script, markup, shot logging, logger, timecode, 180º line, the center line, crossing the line, screen direction, film crews, production resumes, hollywood, assistant directors, editors, script notes, scriptie, scripty, camera angles, 35mm film, video, commercials, feature films. Script supervision notes, script supervising tactics, how to keep track of a film's continuity elements of screen direction, camera angles, wardrobe, makeup, props, so everything will match? If you want to learn how to script supervisor on features, television shows, learn what it's like to be a script supervisor on set, or otherwise improve your filmmaking knowledge, learning to script supervise can be the best step there is toward directing. It puts you in the center of all the creative people - you hone your own script supervising skills and do your own job while in constant interaction with the actors, director, DP and everyone making the movie. What could be a better film school. I highly recommend also the continuity software for script supervisors to get yourself to stand out at the interviews for shows crewing up! Script supervising for movies is one of the most intense, difficult and rewarding crew jobs you could imagine. Feature films really challenge the scritp supervisor. Script supervising commercials is a lot different, but equally as rewarding - especially in the financial department. Learn how to be a script supervisor. How do I become a script supervisor? Script supervision training. What to do to become a script supervisor's intern. Job perspectives in the film industry. Getting started in the film industry. Crew positions on set. Scripting on set. Los Angeles script supervisors tend to be more well-trained than other cities where the profession is less intense or frequent. As a script supervisor in Los Angeles, I love script supervising. There isn't a better job than being a script supervisor in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco. Being able to travel with work, worldwide crews can vary signficiantly. Crewing up in Los Angeles, film crew, TV crew and commercial crews. Infomercial specialist script supervisors. Movie crews fun to work on.