This intensive 8-week course offers a deep dive into the art and craft of script supervising, equipping you with the theory and hands-on skills needed to keep a film or television production running smoothly from page to screen. Beginning with a script breakdown in pre-production, you’ll learn to identify continuity challenges, annotate shooting scripts and storyboards, and develop the detailed reports that guide cast, crew, and editors through every scene.
Through a balanced mix of lectures, film-clip analysis, and practical exercises, you’ll master on-set best practices—covering actor blocking, camera setups, wardrobe changes, props tracking, and coverage logging—while honing your ability to anticipate and solve problems before they disrupt the shoot. By the end, you’ll know how the script supervisor acts as the director’s right hand, the editor’s best friend, and the production’s continuity guardian, transforming potential chaos into seamless cinematic storytelling.
Throughout this course, you will:
- Develop a meticulous eye for detail, learning to track and maintain continuity across dialogue, action, wardrobe, props, and more.
- Master industry-standard paperwork and digital tools, including creating lined scripts, daily progress reports, and editor’s logs. You’ll gain hands-on experience with both traditional methods and modern software applications used on sets today.
- Learn the art of script breakdown, timing scripts, and preparing for production with professional techniques.
- Understand the dynamics of on-set collaboration, effectively communicating with the director, director of photography, and other key department heads to protect the integrity of the final cut.
- Analyze film clips and engage in practical, hands-on exercises that simulate real-world production scenarios, ensuring you are prepared for the challenges of a live set.
WHAT YOU WILL WALK AWAY WITH
Upon successful completion of this course, you will leave with:
- Proficiency in Essential Paperwork: The ability to accurately and efficiently create all necessary reports, from the Editor’s Log to the Daily Production Report, that form the bible of the production.
- The Confidence to Step on Set: A thorough understanding of on-set etiquette, protocols, and the script supervisor’s unique relationship with the cast and crew, empowering you to perform your duties with professionalism.
- On-the-Fly Problem-Solving Skills: The ability to identify continuity errors as they happen and communicate solutions effectively and diplomatically on a busy set.
- A Deep Understanding of Cinematic Grammar: A full comprehension of the 180-degree rule, screen direction, and matching eyelines, ensuring all footage can be seamlessly edited together.
- The Ability to Time a Script: A core, practical skill to provide accurate scene and script timings for production scheduling, which is invaluable to assistant directors and producers.