Free Script Supervisor Template: Notes and Continuity Sheet (PDF)
The script supervisor is the person who remembers everything. Which hand held the cup, how long each take ran and which one the director liked. This free script supervisor template gives you the two forms they use most: a take log for daily notes and a continuity sheet for every scene. Both are fillable PDFs in US Letter and A4, with filled-in examples from a short film.
TL;DR: Log the Takes, Match the Details
Use the notes sheet to log every take: time, length, print or no good, and what changed. Use the continuity sheet to record what each character wears, holds and does in every scene. Take photos. When the next shot comes around, the sheet tells everyone how to match it.
Download the Free Script Supervisor Template
Both forms are fillable one-page PDFs. Use one notes sheet per setup and one continuity sheet per scene. The examples show Dead Air scenes 4A and 9.
What Does a Script Supervisor Do?
A script supervisor tracks what’s been shot and makes sure it all cuts together. According to Wikipedia, the job covers four things.
- Continuity: actor positions, direction of movement, actions and lenses, take by take
- The lined script: vertical lines on the script for each setup, showing where it starts and stops
- Take notes: the length of every take and whether the director called it a print, a hold or no good
- Daily reports: scenes, pages and minutes shot, and what’s left to shoot
The first person to do the job was Sarah Y. Mason, credited as “Continuity Girl” on the film Arizona in 1918. For where the role sits in the crew, see our film crew positions guide.
What’s in the Script Supervisor Template
- Notes sheet (take log): production, date, day, scene, setup, lens and shot description. 18 take rows with camera roll, sound roll, time, length, print, hold or NG, and notes
- Daily totals: scenes completed, pages shot, setups and screen time shot
- Continuity sheet: scene, story day, time of day, set, shoot date and photo references. 8 character rows with wardrobe, hair and makeup, props in hand, and action, position and eyeline
- Footer boxes: set dressing and background, and notes for the next setup
Script Supervisor Example: Dead Air
Here are both forms filled in for Dead Air, the made-up short film from our screenplay template.
- Hold takes get a reason. Take 3 of setup 4A is good, but Nora picks up the phone with her right hand. The wide shot used her left. That’s why take 2 is the print.
- Dialogue changes get logged. In take 1, Nora said “the song” instead of “that song.” The editor needs to know before cutting it in.
- The daily totals feed the production report. 3 6/8 pages and 7 setups so far on day 2 tell the producer how the day is going.
- Continuity runs across days. Scene 9 shoots a day after scene 8, but Nora has to look like she just ran through the rain. The sheet notes the wet jacket, the hair on her left cheek and the run mascara.
- Set dressing counts too. The radio station on the car display and the parking ticket on the seat have to match in every setup.
Here’s something to try on your next shoot, even if you don’t have a script supervisor.
Pick one person to take a photo of the actors at the end of every scene.
It takes 30 seconds and saves a reshoot.
How to Fill In the Script Supervisor Notes
- Start a new block for each setup. Scene, setup letter, lens and a short description of the shot.
- Time every take. Note when it started and how long it ran.
- Mark print, hold or NG. Use the director’s words.
- Write what changed. Missed lines, new lines, a different move, a prop in the wrong hand.
- Add up the day. Scenes done, pages shot, setups and screen time go on the daily report.
How to Fill In the Continuity Sheet
- One sheet per scene. Fill in the story day and time of day first. They tell you what should match.
- One row per character. Wardrobe, hair and makeup, props in hand, and where they are and what they’re looking at.
- Photograph everything. Log the photo numbers so you can find them later.
- Note the set. Doors open or closed, lights on or off, what’s on the table.
- Write notes for the next setup. The action the next shot has to pick up from.
What Happens Without Continuity Notes: Pretty Woman
The breakfast scene in Pretty Woman is one of the best-known continuity errors in film. Vivian picks up a croissant and starts to eat it. After a cut, she’s biting into a pancake, according to CinemaBlend.
A continuity sheet with “props in hand: croissant” for that setup is how you catch it before the camera rolls again. More than 30 years later, it still shows up on lists of the biggest movie mistakes.
If you only track one thing, track hands.
Which hand holds the phone, the cup or the door handle. It’s the mistake editors spot first.
It’s also the one that makes two good takes impossible to cut together.
For the props side of continuity, use our prop list template. For how editors hide or use cuts that don’t match, see our guide to the jump cut.
More On-Set Paperwork
This template is part of a free set of on-set forms. Use them together and your whole crew works from the same paperwork.
- Cast list template: every actor, role and contact on one page
- Prop list template: every prop by scene, with hero props and backups
- Camera and sound report templates: a log of every take, card and track
- Call sheet template: who needs to be where, and when, for each shoot day
Your pages, setups and screen time feed the daily production report the AD sends each night.
FAQs About Script Supervisor Templates
What Is a Lined Script?
It’s the script supervisor’s copy of the script with a vertical line drawn down each page for every setup. The line shows which part of the scene that setup covers. The editor uses it to see every angle available for each line of dialogue.
Is a Script Supervisor the Same as a Continuity Supervisor?
Yes. In the UK and much of Europe, the job is often called continuity. In the US, it’s script supervisor. The work is the same.
Can I Use These Forms on a Shoot Without a Script Supervisor?
Yes. On a small crew, the 2nd AD, a production assistant or the director’s assistant can keep the take log. The continuity sheet works for anyone with a phone camera and a pen.
The Final Cut on the Script Supervisor Template
A script supervisor template keeps the details that make shots cut together: which take was good and what everyone looked like.
Log every take on the notes sheet, fill in a continuity sheet for every scene and take photos at the end of each one.
What’s the first thing you’ll track on your next shoot?
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.