"Scripty"

I realize I've been remiss in discussing my 3-week gig as a script supervisor and I'm taking this opportunity to rectify that. Or at least begin that process because it was a long 14 days (in a good way). I promise, loyal readers, that this entry will be far more light-hearted and G-rated as far as language. Actually I can;t promise that because I believe the words "skantily clad" can be found below and I dont know how the MPAA would look upon that. 

The main reason I haven't posted anything about it is because I was working 12 hours a day, driving an average of an hour to and from the hotel I was staying at to the sites, and because my internet access was limited to one ethernet cable in the hotel room which I was far too tired to plug in when I finally got back to the hotel. And when I got back last Thursday I was part working on transferring all my notes, part preparing for my new job, and part mourning the end of a great project so I had no time or inclination to write.

Enough with excuses.

For those of you who don't know what the position of a script supervisor, or "scripty" as we're known in the biz, entails allow me to enlighten you. The basic premise is that it was my job to ensure that what was on the pages of the script is accurately captured on film. That means that the right lines, scenes, props, timeline, wardrobe and proper acting nuances are present. I need to know the script better than the scriptwriter. I also have to ensure continuity, if the actress ended a scene with her hair parted to the left, with her purse on her right shoulder and a half full coffee cup in the other hand, then it has to be the same in the next scene. I also have to ensure coverage. If the script calls for a close up of a cellphone showing the time changing from 2:02 to 2:03 you have to make sure that at least one camera has captured that. Meanwhile, during the actual shooting you are in charge of keeping track of all the camera set ups, how many takes in each set-up and any notes about a particular take; I.e. "Skipped a line", "great reaction", "Pace was too fast", "actress needs to glance right", "eyeline was off", "Awesome, great, fantasic ***".

It's fantastically complex and it requires a wonderful combination of diligence, memory, organization and creativity. I say creativity because frequently there are questions about realism, character development and other issues that require a solution. One of the major challenges of this film was the sheer complexity of the script. There are flashbacks, dream sequences, and other non-linear story-telling methods. So frequently (due to our lack of time and preproduction) makeup, wardrobe, props and art people had to coordinate with me so that we could ensure that all the correct elements were present and that continuity was maintained. "Should this portrait be on the wall?" "Are the flowers supposed to be here? Should they be wilted?" "What makeup is she wearing? Is it smeared? or newly applied?" "What times does the clock say?" "Does she have her everyday purse or is it her evening purse since it's the morning after?"

There was one day that was particularly challenging in a number of ways. We did a series of scenes, reality and fantasy, that will be intercut in the final product. We did the reality in the morning and did the fantasy that afternoon/evening. Now the main character was scripted as skantily clad, but the actress was uncomfortable with the costume. So the director, the head of wardrobe and I discussed the possibilities with the producers and the actress. We settled on her throwing on a shirt upon exiting the bed. Great. All good.

Not for long...

That afternoon the director decided that the T-shirt wasn't working because part of the film's production value was in showing some skin. However, since we had already done the reality scenes that morning with her wearing the shirt, we couldn't just ditch the shirt because these nightmare shots would be directly intercut with the T-shirt shots. Not good. As the person in charge of continuity I could not allow such a blatant wardrobe change to occur. So in order to save face, because audiences love to point out that kind of thing, I now had to come up with a creative solution to satisfy everyone and still maintain continuity. Solution: for the nightmares the shirt would be slashed right down the center and covered in blood. Actress gets her coverage, director gets some skin, I get my continuity. Everyone's happy.

Now there are times that continuity is ignored in favor of actor performance or because of time, money, or other extenuating circumstances and continuity mistakes occur in the final product. Ultimately, it's the director's decision to ignore the error, as I have become painfully aware. As long as I identify the problem and bring it to the attention of the proper people, I've done my job. Like when it snowed and we were filming exterior scenes that occurred on the same day in the film as other exterior scenes that had no snow. Or when they hired a girl to be homeless when she had braces...
And for those from the crew who have heard me harp on this, I apologize, but it's the last time you'll hear it.

So next time you find a mistake in a film, think of the poor scripty who's dying inside.



PS: **This post was written during my 14 hour day at World Trade Center tower 7, on my Blackberry between food runs, equipment breakdowns and issues driving a massive van down small streets, which would explain why my phone with my GPS app died right when I was driving home. I apologize for any misspellings, etc. More on this in the next post.


PPS: See how I slyly slipped "skantily clad" into the first few lines to get you to read on. Sneaky.