Pre- Production/Productio n Skills and Etiquette to Practice

Taking things to the next level Continuity Creating our game plan in pre- production, and following that plan through post! Etiquette on set Staying on task

Continuity Is the consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, and places seen by the viewer over a period of time. “Maintaining consistency shot to shot, edit to edit.”

Creating Continuity There is typically a person in charge of maintaining continuity on paper to make sure it is followed through correctly on set or location. We call this person the “Script Supervisor”

Script Supervisor Pays attention to the details of the scene and story to make sure that components of the story match previous recorded components of the story. Works with all departments Camera, lighting, sound, wardrobe, makeup, props, sets, etc...

Script Supervisor For the scene: Will note the duration of the take (usually with a stop watch) The action involved Position of the main actors Screen direction of actor movement Important actions done during the shot Type of lens used Notes the axis of the scene (in relation to position of the camera, and eye-lines)

Script Supervisor For the script: Keeps the most current version of the script Notes changes that are made by the director, actors, or crew Notes a shot description and whether or not dialogue was used (for the editor)

Script Supervisor For the Producer: Produces reports that log the actual shooting times, and when breaks started and stopped. Also includes, the pages, scenes, and minutes that were shot that day. What scenes are completed, and how many pages there are left to shoot.

Script Supervisor Acts as the primary liaison between the director and the editor, because the editor is not present during shooting.

So why am I telling you all this? Clearly, there are a lot of tasks associated with being a Script Supervisor. The reason why this is important is to note the amount of dedication, and hard work that gets put into maintaing the attention to detail needed to create a seamless film/video....and it’s all done by ONE person.

Take 2 Minutes

What do we notice is different?

Subtlety is not to be over looked!

But it often is!

Pre-Production Two additional components to add to the mix. Treatment Shot List

Treatment Consist of a brief overview of your story from beginning to end, as well as a light description of your main characters. Used to “pitch” to studio heads after completion or in the midst of completing a script.

Treatment Consists of: A working Title Writers name and contact info Introduction to key characters Who, what, where, when, and why Act one in a paragraph Act two in 1-2 paragraphs Act three in 1-2 paragraphs

Shot List Is a organization of all the shots you intend to get, derived from your storyboard, outlined in a way that allows you to shoot more efficiently.

Shot List Films are rarely, IF EVER, shot in order. The shot list allows us to put shots in an order that makes sense from a production standpoint, not necessarily a story standpoint.

Seq.Location:Shot Type:Talent:Action/Dialog ue 1Raritan High School EXTEstablishingNone 2D- hallwayMED. 2-shot. Tracking John and SueWalking “I’m really... 3D- hallwayCUJohnWalking “Me too...” 4Media CenterMED. 2-shotJohn and SueGoing through bags 5Media CenterCUJohnShocked “Oh no... 6D- HallwayLONGJohnRunning 7Main LobbyLONGJohnRunning 8John’s CarMED.JohnLooking 9Media CenterMEDSueLooking at watch 10Main LobbyLONGJohnRunning 11Media CenterMEDSueGetting angry 12D- HallwayLONGJohnRunning 13Media CenterMEDSueGetting up to leave 14Media CenterMED.JohnLooking for Sue Scenario: John and Sue are walking to the Media Center to study. Once inside John realizes he forgot his book in his car. While he runs to go get it Sue gets tired of waiting, so she leaves.

Shot # Seq.Location:Shot Type:Talent:Action/Dialog ue 11Raritan High School EXTEstablishingNone 28John’s CarMED.JohnLooking for book 37Main LobbyLONGJohnRunning out 410Main LobbyLONGJohnRunning in 56D- HallwayLONGJohnRunning out 612D- HallwayLONGJohnRunning in 72D- HallwayMED. 2-shot. Tracking John and SueWalking “I’m really... 83D- HallwayCUJohnWalking “Me too...” 94Media CenterMED. 2-shotJohn and SueGoing through bags 1014Media CenterMED.JohnLooking for Sue 115Media CenterCUJohnShocked “Oh no Media CenterMEDSueLooking at watch 1311Media CenterMEDSueGetting angry 1413Media CenterMEDSueGetting up to leave Notice how it makes more sense to organize all your scenes by location, and shoot to complete a specific local. What if it starts raining?

Production Etiquette Shoot out of order if it makes sense Get multiple takes Be aware of groups shooting around you (for noise) Call for action after you press record Rehearse before recording Take notes! Leave time at the end of class to Log and Transfer Shoot with an edit mentality