The script supervisor (sometimes called Script Supervising and Continuity) is a position that has so much to it that it is difficult to describe.
The script supervisor is the eye of the storm. In the midst of the chaos on set, the script supervisor is recording everything, time, date, flubbed lines, wardrobe and HOW the wardrobe is worn, which takes were best (called “prints”), how full the glass of beer was, how much of the cigarette was smoked and at what point in the script a drag was taken, how long each take (shot) was, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg, meanwhile taking tons of pictures to reinforce all this written information.
And all of this information goes into a book that goes to the editor to speed up the process of editing.
I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for script supervisors because I did this professionally for a while.
Tough job. Tougher than it looks.
And it’s one of those crew jobs like the sound department where no one thinks it’s particularly important and so it’s considered inferior to set superstars like the camera department, but when something goes wrong or when no one can figure out how to shoot the scene without crossing the line, all of a sudden people are looking to the script supervisor.
In fact, when other departments make mistakes, mistakes that they are responsible for, it is often the script supervisor that gets blamed anyway.
And with producers that haven’t filled in the project fully before principal photography starts, the job of a script supervisor can be nerve-wracking because they have to pick of the pieces of poor planning.
Wow! That sounds a bit angry and bitter, doesn’t it?
I didn’t like script supervising. My mind does not function in a way that is optimal for the job of script supervising.
I’m much better suited for directing because I’m much better at pulling the details I need to get all together, rather than a script supervisor who pulls the details apart and analyzes them. If the view of the director is that of planet earth from a space ship in outer space, the view of the script supervisor is of an ant on the sidewalk in that planet.
I also hate to do record-keeping… you should see the nightmare that is my checkbook! Meanwhile, a lot of script supervisors come from engineering and accounting backgrounds, which totally makes sense.
Actually, being a script supervisor made me a better director because it forced me to get better in an area that I wasn’t good at, such as record-keeping and continuity. Even my handwriting has gotten a little better.
But I digress…
On a short film script supervisors are not as vital as on a feature film… at least in my opinion.
It’s not like you are going to be shooting a scene in a bar, and then shooting the next scene in the script 4 weeks later and have to remember on which arm the actress was carrying her purse.
However, you might have to remember 4 HOURS later, and without a script supervisor, it could be tough to remember details like that for even that long.
So, if you can get a script supervisor, then definitely get one.
Sometimes all you need is someone to write down which shots were the director’s favorites, and on a short film set that can be done by one of the P.A.s or even the A.D.
The ideal script supervisor on a short film is the editor, if they are willing to do it. They can watch all the action and so will be able to see the shooting issues that a script supervisor would normally write down. The also can write which takes are the best and will probably remember the reasons why one was better than another, and this will hasten the editing process.
