#script supervising

This is how it goes

it's a work in progress

Also go read Children of the prairie! @enigmafactor is the author and they got something really good going on. You can also find the comic on webtoons!

Stan ladybug or perish <3

My own small monitor, separate from my iPad, at least 2m away from everybody else, NOT SHARED with anyone else, easy to move on my own.

A way to communicate with the rest of the crew.

A way to change the batteries in my comtek.

Extra time to disinfect my stuff, maintain communication, get tea, etc.

Masks.

Hand sanitizer.

Lingettes désinfectantes (70 % d’alcool).

Mouchoirs.

Short nails.

People actually staying 2m away from me.

Questions to ask:

Who changes the batteries in my comtek? Who disinfects my comtek? Where do I put it at the end of the day?

Who disinfects my monitor?

How do I communicate with the director, AD, CCM, décor, etc.?

Can I use my own masks?

How often do I need to change my mask?

How will I get tea?

Will I have extra time for disinfecting all my stuff every day?

Will I need to wash my clothes after only one day of use? (E.g. I usually wear the same pants all week and then wash them on the weekend.)

This is a big and scary question!

The short answer is: I don’t know, but I don’t think it will be easy.

Discouraged? Don’t be. Read the long answer below!

There are endless ways to get your creations out into the world. Film festivals, screenwriting contests (*winks*), sharing and working with your peers, and commercial work are just a few ways.

I am currently working in a (sort of) commercial job where I make promotional and training videos as well as graphic design work. This may seem boring, but I am actually challenged because I get to be creative in the way I share information. In this way, I am already sharing my works.The commercial work I do, while more business than creative, has given me connections, skills, and works that I can show to clients and other filmmakers.

The best way, I think, is to collaborate with other filmmakers. There is never just one person involved in making a successful film. There are dozens, sometimes hundreds of people working on a single project. The popular phrase “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is very true in the film industry. I am a writer, so I talk to my director and cinematographer friends when I want a film produced. I work on sets as a scripty and have had people ask me to send scripts their way because they aren’t writers but desperately want to make a film. The people you create films with have their own networks and the more people you know and work with, the more exposure your creations will get.

After film school specifically, I hope to work in television. In television, you work with a lot of the same people for a longer period of time, whether it’s on set or in the writer’s room. I am already involved in a writers room and I hope to build more connections in the TV world. (I got my hands on scripty notes from Empire via one of the show’s editors and I was so excited!)

Do I think it will be easy? Absolutely not. I am an introvert by nature and networking is something I struggle with. I also tend to procrastinate and be indecisive when working on personal projects, which makes writing a slow process for me. However, I still try to be involved in projects and I keep creating.

I hope this helped and I didn’t overwhelm you with my lack of a plan for my future.

Now it’s time to elevate our craft more by learning negotiating skills and educating others about the value of what we do.  The workload is bigger nowadays and there are many days it would benefit us to have more than one script supervisor on set.  That’d be great right? Here’s a way to get there: 

On the call sheet, request that you get your own category.  We are not a part of production; our category is Continuity. 

Also we are not a department of one; we are a Department Head. We have 2nd units, stunt units, aerial units, splinter units...  So request that your job title on every call sheet is Key Script Supervisor 

Next get comfortable negotiating for additional script supervisors.  This can be introduced during the interview and brought up when the shooting schedule comes out. If there is a ballroom scene for example, or 4 cameras, act like a Department Head and say “That’s a big scene and a lot of cameras, I’m gonna need additional script supervisors those days” 

This additional script supervisor will be on the callsheet in the Continuity section, right under your name.  And it will seem like it’s always meant to be that way. 

The Emmys are a 3 night affair. 88 winners were announced in last week’s ceremonies, and the big show will be tonight with the final 26. Here are the 210 script supervisors who worked on this year’s nominees for televisions highest honor