Continuity
The script supervisor's job, minus the paperwork.
Script supervision is the most information-dense job on a set — takes, timings, continuity, dialogue changes, coverage gaps — and it is almost universally done on paper that then has to be transcribed. This does the logging where the script and schedule already live.
What does a script supervisor do?
A script supervisor tracks continuity across takes and setups, logs every take with its timing and quality, records which coverage has been captured, and notes any deviation from the script. Their notes go to the editor and are the primary record of what was actually shot and what was intended.
What you get
Take logging with a stopwatch
Log takes as they happen with duration captured directly. Circle takes marked as the director calls them, not reconstructed at wrap.
Scene status tracking
Every scene carries a status — not started, in progress, completed, needs pickup or reshoot required — with a history of every change. The producer's question about coverage has a live answer.
Continuity per take, with reference stills
Each logged take carries its own notes. Continuity items — wardrobe, props, a reference still shot on the phone, a note — are logged against the scene or against the specific take they were seen on.
The transcription tax
Script supervisors are exceptionally good at capturing information under pressure. The waste isn't in the capture — it's that the capture happens on paper and then has to be typed up, photographed, or emailed as a scan to reach the editor.
That transcription step is where detail is lost and where the delay lives. Notes taken at 11am reach post two days later, if they reach it intact.
The question at 4pm
"Have we got the scene?" is asked constantly and is genuinely hard to answer, because it means: have we got every setup, with at least one good take, with continuity intact.
When takes are logged against a [shot list](/shot-list-software) and scenes carry a status, that becomes a lookup. The director, the AD and the producer see the same answer at the same time, which removes an entire category of end-of-day argument.
What reaches post
The editor's first day on a scene is spent working out what exists. Good notes shorten that dramatically:
- Which takes were circled, and why
- Why a take failed — specific enough to be useful
- Continuity state across takes and setups
- Dialogue deviations from the script
- Which coverage was captured and which was dropped
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I keep a continuity log as script supervisor?
- Yes — log takes against each scene with take numbers, durations, camera and lens, and circled takes, and write notes on each take as it is logged. Continuity items — wardrobe, props, reference stills — can name the take they were logged on, so you can read back what it looked like on the take that was actually circled.
- Does it produce a continuity sheet?
- The record is kept per scene and per take rather than as a single printed sheet — take numbers, durations, circled takes and the notes on each take. It is the information a paper log carries, held so it can be read back against a scene later instead of filed in a folder.
- What is continuity in film?
- Consistency of detail across takes and setups — wardrobe, props, positions, eyelines, action timing. When continuity breaks, an object moves or a costume changes between shots that are meant to be continuous.
- What does a script supervisor do?
- They track continuity, log every take with timing and quality, record which coverage has been captured, and note deviations from the script. Their notes are the primary record reaching the editor.
- What is a circle take?
- A take the director selects as preferred, traditionally circled on the log. Post prioritises circled takes, so capturing them accurately in the moment is the log's main job.
- Does this replace paper notes?
- It's designed to, by removing the transcription step. Notes logged during the day are immediately available to the editor and the production office rather than being typed up later.
- Can it tell me if a scene is fully covered?
- Each scene carries a status — not started, in progress, completed, needs pickup or reshoot required — and the project progress view rolls those up, so you can see which scenes are still open. Takes are not yet cross-checked against the shot list.
- Is it free?
- Yes, on the free tier, alongside shot lists, scheduling and call sheets. Zero commission on crew hiring.
Terms explained
- Continuity
- Continuity is the consistency of everything visible and audible across shots that will be cut together — wardrobe, props, hair, position, eyeline, screen direction and the state of the action. It is tracked on set by the script supervisor and matters because scenes are shot out of order.
- Take
- A take is a single recorded attempt at a shot. Takes are numbered sequentially within a setup, logged with a circled marker when the director considers them usable, and identified by scene, slate and take number so the edit can find them.
- Slate
- A slate is the board filmed at the head of a take carrying the production, scene, take and roll numbers. Its hinged arm is clapped to produce a sharp sound and a matching visual frame, giving post a point at which picture and separately recorded sound can be aligned.
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Takes, continuity and coverage — where the script and schedule already are.