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Friday, October 14, 2022
What Makes Script Supervisors the Unsung Heroes of Film & TV?
nofilmschool.com: Savvy directors and smart producers get it—so why do so many productions think they can save money by not hiring a script supervisor? Or when they do, why are we one of the last department heads hired?
11 comments:
Carly Tamborello
said...
I never even knew this job existed! It seems to be giving somewhat dramaturg vibes but in a film and TV sense. Issues in continuity as simple as shots not lining up or references to things that don’t make sense can definitely take me right out of a scene as a viewer, so it’s nice to know there’s someone whose job it is to fix that. It can get arduous to see how certain positions are devalued by directors, writers, or producers thinking that isn’t necessary or they can just do it themselves; however, they have a lot of other things to juggle, and just think how much more efficient it is to have someone whose entire job is just to supervise the script. That way you know they’ll be on top of it and they truly will be an expert and a professional. I think that’s a great idea, and I hope script supervisors are awarded more credit and higher pay going forward.
It is crazy to me that some productions try to cut out script supervisors and cut out that part of a production in general. First of all cutting out a script supervisor opens yourself to so many artistic, logical, and technical errors but on top of that, the role and the work load is just put on other people within the production giving a big chance for things to slip through the cracks. I think people look down on the job and think it isn't as important since so many people on the set dabble in that area with their jobs however having a designated person makes the entire process smoother and ensures all information is kept track of accurately. I think the angle that the job will save the production money from the low pay of the role with the added savings that comes from catching mistakes is a great way to ensure more script supervisors get hired but I hope in that effort people don't start underpaying these roles and they get the compensation they deserve.
Before this article, I had never heard of a script supervisor position. Reading the article though, it seems unwise to me that some producers cut out the position. It sounds like a script supervisor is just the film equivalent of a dramaturg (and we never cut them out). The anecdote about Sylvia Parker is just crazy to imagine. It's just insane to think that it will save money to not hire a script supervisor. At the same time, though, I can definitely see how the script supervisor can be underappreciated. Since most of their work is alone and at home, as Caryn Ruby says, I think it's understandable that inexperienced producers will overlook the position, but they ought to learn quickly not to overlook it again. It's just terrible, though, that some directors still hire script supervisors only because they have to. I'm glad I learned about this position and in the future I'll understand just how much work it is.
A professor of mine in undergrad got his professional start in the industry as a script supervisor. He always spoke about it as a very important job that was wildly undervalued by almost everyone. Given his testimony, it doesn't surprise me that production companies have all but eliminated this job. It's one that doesn't seem necessary until it is... or one that seems like anyone can do. And maybe they can, but as with theatre and dramaturgy, the production is better with someone who's sole job is protecting the integrity of the script. I like the quote by Eve Butterly in the article: "I am your cheapest department because I am a department of one and I have the opportunity to save you the most money." So true. A script supervisor can catch discrepancies as they come rather than after the fact. I truly don't understand why production companies would rather take the risk rather than manage the risk. It's just truly poor business sense not to have a script supervisor from start to finish, especially on films with a very big budget.
I have heard of the job position of script supervisor and had a vague idea of what it entailed but was not for sure about it before reading this article. After reading this article, it seems like it would be a very fun job. When watching a show or movie I often notice little things (sometimes big things) that do not track with the previous established timelines, plot points, or even just shots. These things can often be hard to notice if you are one of the people writing or filming the show or movie because you just get used to it and simply do not notice. That is why it is so helpful to have script supervisors around for the whole process. They are a fresh pair of eyes who are most likely to notice any problem areas and or continuity errors when writing or filming. Personally, I think that would be a fun job to have, I like looking for possible errors in timelines, plots, and character arcs and I love paying attention to continuity when working on a project.
If I go into film, I would love to be a script supervisor. The only other family member of mine that has anything to do with theatre and the arts was a script supervisor. She worked on Leonardo DiCaprio movies! Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago and I feel like it’d be a nice way to honor her. Anyways, a script supervisor’s job is very important. It reminds me of stage management a lot. Much like stage managers, script supervisors do A LOT OF WORK. A film WILL suffer without a script supervisor in terms of continuity.
I’m really interested in this podcast! I think it will be a very neat podcast to listen to and I think I’ll listen to it on my flights back home. Since I am really interested in script supervisors, I’ll be able to learn so much just from this podcast. It’s definitely worth it to learn about what script supervisors do!
A script supervisor is one of those jobs I hadn’t really heard of before, but had understood that it needed to exist. It’s so essential in TV and movies to maintain both plot and visual continuity, so the existence of such a job makes sense. Knowing the nature of the film industry and the executives who run the film industry towards funding backstage jobs that are not as prominent but still essential, it is not surprising that this job is under-funded and under-resourced, even after being unionized. I will definitely be listening to this podcast - after looking at their Spotify page I love the variety in the content of their episodes. They have everything from episodes on what a script supervisor is, the union, tv vs. film vs. commercials and the Game of Thrones coffee cup, and I am very excited to listen to them. It’s always cool to learn about a job that you hadn’t really heard about before.
I never knew the formal name for a script supervisor, despite the fact that it is self-explanatory… However, I think this is one of the most important jobs that somebody could have on set. I feel like this shouldn’t be a “department of one” kind of job. Although this article did not formally name shows without a script supervisor, I can think of some shows that I think maybe lacked one or hired different people for this job throughout shooting. I instantly thought of one show that I have seen that lacked consistent plot lines or just left key details out, or suddenly shifted into a new direction plot-wise; so, I looked up who the script supervisor for the show. This huge show, that during its prime was making a lot of money and creating stars, had one script supervisor that also had another job on set – they were something/script supervisor, and that makes complete sense.
Script Supervisors are amazing. I worked closely with one last winter break when I was the 1st Assistant Director for a short film being shot in Seattle. There was so much information I was keeping inside my head: what did we have to move to setup for certain shots, when were we shooting that, how much coffee to we have left for the kitchen take, etc. The Script Supervisor was able to catch so many continuity issues, from the placement of the mug to the openness of the curtains. Film sets need this person because as the article mentions, you could incur heavy costs in post-production. It could create the need for extensive hours of editing, or in the worst cases, needing to reshoot entire scenes. I also love the line about how they focus on the “character arc and emotional continuity” because at the end of the day, our story itself needs to make sense as well.
Before seeing this headline, I had never even heard of the title “script supervisor”. I always wondered who kept up with all the consistencies that needed to be covered in any form of entertainment, and this is the job that does that! Whenever I’d be watching a TV show and see a scar move, or someone not have something changed about their costume in one scene, I wondered who took the hit for that mistake. Turns out, it was either the person who didn’t hire the script supervisor, or the script supervisor. For any future shows I will be working on, I will be sure to figure out who the script supervisor is because they will be doing such an important job that is widely underrepresented. I also will make sure that they get brought on early enough. As this article states, if you don’t bring on the script supervisor early enough, you could be wasting money by already having inconsistencies in the script.
Before reading this article, I had never even heard of a script supervisor before. Although I understand wanting to cut different positions to save money, it makes sense to hire people to work specific positions to make these places better in the long run, rather than taking the cheap route, which could theoretically cause a place to crumble after a little while. For example, at my high school, the theater has gone the longest time without hiring a full time lighting or sound designer. They have made the decision to keep this position part time, making it a whole lot less appealing for anyone who may want to apply for the position. It worked for the first couple years I was there, but as I spent more time working on technical theater without someone who actually knew what they were doing, I began to see how flawed this would end up being, and how it might cause a downfall in the program. I think it’s really important to pay people what they deserve, and give people the positions they deserve.
11 comments:
I never even knew this job existed! It seems to be giving somewhat dramaturg vibes but in a film and TV sense. Issues in continuity as simple as shots not lining up or references to things that don’t make sense can definitely take me right out of a scene as a viewer, so it’s nice to know there’s someone whose job it is to fix that. It can get arduous to see how certain positions are devalued by directors, writers, or producers thinking that isn’t necessary or they can just do it themselves; however, they have a lot of other things to juggle, and just think how much more efficient it is to have someone whose entire job is just to supervise the script. That way you know they’ll be on top of it and they truly will be an expert and a professional. I think that’s a great idea, and I hope script supervisors are awarded more credit and higher pay going forward.
It is crazy to me that some productions try to cut out script supervisors and cut out that part of a production in general. First of all cutting out a script supervisor opens yourself to so many artistic, logical, and technical errors but on top of that, the role and the work load is just put on other people within the production giving a big chance for things to slip through the cracks. I think people look down on the job and think it isn't as important since so many people on the set dabble in that area with their jobs however having a designated person makes the entire process smoother and ensures all information is kept track of accurately. I think the angle that the job will save the production money from the low pay of the role with the added savings that comes from catching mistakes is a great way to ensure more script supervisors get hired but I hope in that effort people don't start underpaying these roles and they get the compensation they deserve.
Before this article, I had never heard of a script supervisor position. Reading the article though, it seems unwise to me that some producers cut out the position. It sounds like a script supervisor is just the film equivalent of a dramaturg (and we never cut them out). The anecdote about Sylvia Parker is just crazy to imagine. It's just insane to think that it will save money to not hire a script supervisor. At the same time, though, I can definitely see how the script supervisor can be underappreciated. Since most of their work is alone and at home, as Caryn Ruby says, I think it's understandable that inexperienced producers will overlook the position, but they ought to learn quickly not to overlook it again. It's just terrible, though, that some directors still hire script supervisors only because they have to. I'm glad I learned about this position and in the future I'll understand just how much work it is.
A professor of mine in undergrad got his professional start in the industry as a script supervisor. He always spoke about it as a very important job that was wildly undervalued by almost everyone. Given his testimony, it doesn't surprise me that production companies have all but eliminated this job. It's one that doesn't seem necessary until it is... or one that seems like anyone can do. And maybe they can, but as with theatre and dramaturgy, the production is better with someone who's sole job is protecting the integrity of the script. I like the quote by Eve Butterly in the article: "I am your cheapest department because I am a department of one and I have the opportunity to save you the most money." So true. A script supervisor can catch discrepancies as they come rather than after the fact. I truly don't understand why production companies would rather take the risk rather than manage the risk. It's just truly poor business sense not to have a script supervisor from start to finish, especially on films with a very big budget.
I have heard of the job position of script supervisor and had a vague idea of what it entailed but was not for sure about it before reading this article. After reading this article, it seems like it would be a very fun job. When watching a show or movie I often notice little things (sometimes big things) that do not track with the previous established timelines, plot points, or even just shots. These things can often be hard to notice if you are one of the people writing or filming the show or movie because you just get used to it and simply do not notice. That is why it is so helpful to have script supervisors around for the whole process. They are a fresh pair of eyes who are most likely to notice any problem areas and or continuity errors when writing or filming. Personally, I think that would be a fun job to have, I like looking for possible errors in timelines, plots, and character arcs and I love paying attention to continuity when working on a project.
If I go into film, I would love to be a script supervisor. The only other family member of mine that has anything to do with theatre and the arts was a script supervisor. She worked on Leonardo DiCaprio movies! Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago and I feel like it’d be a nice way to honor her. Anyways, a script supervisor’s job is very important. It reminds me of stage management a lot. Much like stage managers, script supervisors do A LOT OF WORK. A film WILL suffer without a script supervisor in terms of continuity.
I’m really interested in this podcast! I think it will be a very neat podcast to listen to and I think I’ll listen to it on my flights back home. Since I am really interested in script supervisors, I’ll be able to learn so much just from this podcast. It’s definitely worth it to learn about what script supervisors do!
A script supervisor is one of those jobs I hadn’t really heard of before, but had understood that it needed to exist. It’s so essential in TV and movies to maintain both plot and visual continuity, so the existence of such a job makes sense. Knowing the nature of the film industry and the executives who run the film industry towards funding backstage jobs that are not as prominent but still essential, it is not surprising that this job is under-funded and under-resourced, even after being unionized. I will definitely be listening to this podcast - after looking at their Spotify page I love the variety in the content of their episodes. They have everything from episodes on what a script supervisor is, the union, tv vs. film vs. commercials and the Game of Thrones coffee cup, and I am very excited to listen to them. It’s always cool to learn about a job that you hadn’t really heard about before.
I never knew the formal name for a script supervisor, despite the fact that it is self-explanatory… However, I think this is one of the most important jobs that somebody could have on set. I feel like this shouldn’t be a “department of one” kind of job. Although this article did not formally name shows without a script supervisor, I can think of some shows that I think maybe lacked one or hired different people for this job throughout shooting. I instantly thought of one show that I have seen that lacked consistent plot lines or just left key details out, or suddenly shifted into a new direction plot-wise; so, I looked up who the script supervisor for the show. This huge show, that during its prime was making a lot of money and creating stars, had one script supervisor that also had another job on set – they were something/script supervisor, and that makes complete sense.
Script Supervisors are amazing. I worked closely with one last winter break when I was the 1st Assistant Director for a short film being shot in Seattle. There was so much information I was keeping inside my head: what did we have to move to setup for certain shots, when were we shooting that, how much coffee to we have left for the kitchen take, etc. The Script Supervisor was able to catch so many continuity issues, from the placement of the mug to the openness of the curtains. Film sets need this person because as the article mentions, you could incur heavy costs in post-production. It could create the need for extensive hours of editing, or in the worst cases, needing to reshoot entire scenes. I also love the line about how they focus on the “character arc and emotional continuity” because at the end of the day, our story itself needs to make sense as well.
Before seeing this headline, I had never even heard of the title “script supervisor”. I always wondered who kept up with all the consistencies that needed to be covered in any form of entertainment, and this is the job that does that! Whenever I’d be watching a TV show and see a scar move, or someone not have something changed about their costume in one scene, I wondered who took the hit for that mistake. Turns out, it was either the person who didn’t hire the script supervisor, or the script supervisor. For any future shows I will be working on, I will be sure to figure out who the script supervisor is because they will be doing such an important job that is widely underrepresented. I also will make sure that they get brought on early enough. As this article states, if you don’t bring on the script supervisor early enough, you could be wasting money by already having inconsistencies in the script.
Before reading this article, I had never even heard of a script supervisor before. Although I understand wanting to cut different positions to save money, it makes sense to hire people to work specific positions to make these places better in the long run, rather than taking the cheap route, which could theoretically cause a place to crumble after a little while. For example, at my high school, the theater has gone the longest time without hiring a full time lighting or sound designer. They have made the decision to keep this position part time, making it a whole lot less appealing for anyone who may want to apply for the position. It worked for the first couple years I was there, but as I spent more time working on technical theater without someone who actually knew what they were doing, I began to see how flawed this would end up being, and how it might cause a downfall in the program. I think it’s really important to pay people what they deserve, and give people the positions they deserve.
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