In the wide shot the actor held his coffee cup in his left hand. Three hours later, in the close-up, he picks it up with his right. The script supervisor notices before the camera rolls, shows the photo from the wide and the cup changes hands. In the edit nobody will ever know. The script supervisor is the person who makes sure the shots of a scene still fit together when they are cut.
What a script supervisor does
Films are shot out of order and every scene is filmed many times from different angles. The script supervisor keeps track of all of it. They sit close to the director and the monitor, and note for each take what was shot, which lens was used, how long it lasted, which lines changed and which take the director liked.
They also watch continuity. That covers props, costumes, hair, the position of actors, eyelines and the direction of movement. Before the shoot they time the script to estimate how long the finished film will be, and they mark which scenes take place on which day of the story. At the end of each day their notes go to the editor, and their reports go to the production office.
Responsibilities
- Time the script and track the story days before the shoot
- Watch continuity in props, costume, make-up, action and dialogue
- Log every take with lens, timing, notes and the director's preference
- Track changes to dialogue and scenes as they happen
- Mark which scenes and shots are complete
- Send daily continuity reports and editor's notes
- Advise the director when a shot may not cut with another
How the role touches the budget
No budget responsibility, but an indirect influence on cost. The script supervisor is paid a daily or weekly rate and has no budget line of their own. Their effect on cost is indirect but real. A missed continuity error can mean a reshoot, and reshoots are expensive. Good notes also save time in the edit, because the editor and assistant editor can find the right take quickly.
How people become script supervisors
Many start as a trainee or assistant to an experienced script supervisor, or come from the production office or the assistant director team. Some move across from editing, because the job needs an understanding of how shots cut together. Attention to detail matters more than any formal training.
In the US and Europe
In the United States the job is called script supervisor. In the UK and much of Europe it is often called continuity, and the person is the continuity supervisor. The job is the same. In multi-camera television studios the role is different, and the timing of the programme is often handled by the production assistant in the gallery.