Speaker 1: Please, I just want to fix this and move on with my life, Donatello. I've run this firm for 23 years now, and my credibility is on the line here. So Greg, I need you to be perfectly frank with me. Have you ever set foot in Joanne's Fabrics?

Speaker 2: I uh, I mean, me, personally, not really.

Speaker 1: I mean, for me, that would be no. What does that mean, Greg? Did you send someone else into Joanne's Fabrics? My ex-wife used to work there.

Speaker 3: Pause. So did you catch all the errors so far? I did. That's why it's my job to fix them. My name is Martha, and I'm a script supervisor. This scene is full of continuity errors and shows what might happen if someone like me isn't on set. Let's go in and fix the mistakes so you can see the kind of things I need to look out for. Okay, rewind. One of the most basic things I need to focus on is the placement of props. The props here are this folder, that clock on the shelf, both of their smoothies, and this dragon thing. Let's keep an eye on these.

Speaker 1: Please, I just want to fix this and move on with my life, Donatello. I've run this firm for 23 years now, and my credibility is on the line here. So Greg.

Speaker 3: Okay, so the props have all changed around. A good script supervisor would catch these changes and make sure things like this don't end up in the final cut. Let's fix all these. Rewind.

Speaker 1: So Greg, I need you to be perfectly frank with me. Have you ever set foot in Joanne's fabrics?

Speaker 2: I, uh.

Speaker 3: So this part looks good. I mean, me?

Speaker 2: But wait for it. Personally?

Speaker 3: Not really. I mean. It's a good idea to have any devices that tell time match each other. This clock says 4.46, and this one says 3.42. We'll need to fix that.

Speaker 1: For me, that would be no. What does that mean? Greg, you had someone else go in Joanne's fabrics for you?

Speaker 3: Alright, now if you remember, we watched Greg stand up.

Speaker 2: I, uh.

Speaker 3: I mean, me? Personally? So, if Greg is standing up, who or what is the lawyer looking at here? Somebody help him out. If a character's eyeline continuity is off, it can be really jarring.

Speaker 1: What does that mean, Greg?

Speaker 3: It means not only does it confuse the audience, it can throw off the emotion an actor is trying to convey.

Speaker 1: Did you have someone else go into Joanne's fabrics for you? Well, kind of. My ex-wife used to work there.

Speaker 3: Hold up. Looks like some of the problems we already fixed are back. Ideally, things that could be recurring issues would be avoided from the start of shooting. For example, it would have been easier if both these guys had coffee mugs so we couldn't see the changing liquid levels like we can with the clear smoothie cups. Wardrobe continuity is another thing we must look out for. Greg's sunglasses have been switching from his head to his shirt throughout the entire scene, and his shirt keeps being buttoned and unbuttoned. These errors can occur if an actor varies their performance between takes, or maybe if filming takes place over multiple days. Also, the lawyer's tie has switched a few times. Let's keep that consistent.

Speaker 2: Well, kind of. My ex-wife used to work there.

Speaker 1: Okay, Greg. Well, that would have been useful information to have last week, then. And I used to go in there quite a lot before I had changed my name from Sammy Stonecenter. Why am I only finding out this morning that you used to go by the name of Sammy Stonecenter?

Speaker 3: Script supervisors also have to pay attention to dialogue. The lawyer just said,

Speaker 1: This morning.

Speaker 3: But we've already established it's 446. It's light outside, so it can't be 446 AM. What he should say is,

Speaker 1: Why am I only finding out this afternoon that you used to go by the name of Sammy Stonecenter?

Speaker 3: Much better. Now, watch which hand he grabs the folder with.

Speaker 4: I didn't think it was pertinent information.

Speaker 3: In the first shot, he picked it up with his left hand. And in the next, he has it in his right. Let's try again.

Speaker 4: I didn't think it was pertinent information.

Speaker 3: That's better. It's important to note not just where the props are, but how actors interact with them. And keeping that consistent between takes and setups.

Speaker 1: And besides, I was trying to cover up my tracks. Alright, Sammy, Greg, whatever your name is. You're gonna come clean with me. Or I'm not so sure I'm gonna be able to represent you.

Speaker 2: Alright. I might have brought my Rottweiler into Joanne's fabrics. And she might have destroyed 17 rolls of fabric. But I did not set that place on fire.

Speaker 3: Stop. This shot here has just broken the 180 degree rule. Imagine an invisible line running between two characters. We always want to keep the camera on one side of that line to maintain spatial consistency. Notice the camera has always been shooting from Greg's left side. Because of this, Greg is always seen on the right side of our screen, and the lawyer on the left. Here, suddenly we have shifted to Greg's right side, which makes it appear as if the actors have swapped sides of the screen. Let's fix this now. Perfect. Also, we already saw that Greg's mugshot was the top page in the folder when the lawyer held it. So let's fix that too. This transition should feel much better now.

Speaker 2: But I did not set that place on fire.

Speaker 3: There. That feels good. That's not me. That's Sammy. Okay. Here it appears as if the lawyer has just teleported a short distance. We establish that he has been right in front of the window. But now he's suddenly on the side of the desk, and there were no shots justifying this shift. This is what we call a blocking error. Let's get him back where he belongs. There we go. In case an actor's performance varies between takes, it's important to take note of their key blocking positions and try to match them in all shots.

Speaker 1: Look, I am going to count to 70, and if you're not out of my office by then, I'll have you escorted out. One. Two.

Speaker 2: All right, I'm leaving. But this isn't the end.

Speaker 3: No, it's not. We talked about blocking for position, but now we have a blocking for movement error. Rewind to that last shot. Greg rises from his chair and turns to his right in this shot.

Speaker 2: All right, I'm leaving.

Speaker 3: See? But when we cut to the wider shot, he's turning to his left. A script supervisor must track every move an actor makes to make sure they stay consistent between takes and shot setups. One last fix.

Speaker 2: All right, I'm leaving. But this isn't the end, because the truth always rises to the top.

Speaker 1: I hope it does, Sammy. I hope that it does.

Speaker 3: So, I hope that gave you a pretty good idea of the things script supervisors have to look out for. And if you really want to put your skills to the test, we purposely left a few other mistakes in the scene for you to catch on your own. Let us know what you can find.