Lining your script AKA making sure your editor will not kill you during Post Production
If you’re someone who has never been through film school, the term “lining the script” probably doesn’t mean anything to you. However, it’s an extremely important part of production that many student filmmakers even will overlook because it’s not emphasized enough. So I’m going to take a moment to explain to you exactly what it is and why it’s so important.
To start, let me give you an example of what a lined script looks like:
At the top of each line is a shot designation. We can tell that this is scene 8 because every shot starts with the number “8″. Shots are then lettered using all lettered of the alphabet except I and O (because they look like 1 and 0), occasionally even being doubled (I’ve been on lots of sets that go into AA or AB). Each letter represents a different shot, which could mean that the camera moves or changes angles or movement, ect. As you can imagine, shot lists tend to be extremely long. The way to keep everything organized and make sure you’re getting the coverage you need is to then take the script and literally draw lines through it.
What is coverage? Well, coverage is basically the sum of all shots you have for one scene. When you have sufficient coverage, than you have footage of every character saying all their lines, probably from a couple different angles, and you have shots of every important set piece and also a Master Shot (meaning a wide shot of the entire scene).
In the script above, you’ll notice that there are straight lines and then also squiggly lines. When there is a straight line through an action or dialogue, that means that that action or spoken dialogue is being seen on camera. If there’s a squiggly line through an action or dialogue, that means that the camera is rolling while that action is happening or that line is being said, but that it’s not currently on camera (which is important for reaction shots).
Proper coverage is extremely important. Even if, as the writer or director, you have a specific idea of exactly what shot you want at a particular moment, you still make sure you have lots of coverage because you want to give your editor options. You never know exactly what’s going to work when the footage gets to post production. You also never, ever as a writer put specific shots in your script, even if you are the director. You never want to limit yourself or your editor.
Without proper coverage, the editor may be forced to use a shot they don’t want or edit the scene in a way that isn’t ideal. It’s important to look at the whole picture and understand that the film can change completely from pre-production to production to post-production. By lining the script, you’re assuring that everything has been accounted for.
