Last month, Screen Alliance Wales teamed up with the fantastic Sue Jeffries from Sgil Cymru to deliver a Script Supervisor Course.

Over the four-day course, Sue imparted her wisdom from years of industry experience, went through the main roles and responsibilities of a script supervisor and explained just why they are so vital for all TV and Film productions.

What is a Script Supervisor? – Everyone has watched a TV show or film and noticed a continuity error. Whether it be a disappearing coffee cup, or a sudden costume change, we are all familiar with the occasional slip in a production.

It is the responsibility of the Script Supervisor to make sure that this doesn’t happen! The under-appreciated hero on productions, the Script Supervisor has a plethora of duties on film and TV sets. Primarily responsible for continuity, they must make reports on each scene filmed to ensure that continuity is maintained and that all the shots make sense in the final cut. Nearly every department on set must liaise with the script supervisor so that even tiny details don’t get overlooked. This information is logged by the script supervisor to make it easier for post-production to edit the shots correctly and make sure that the story makes sense.

How to become one – It’s certainly not for the faint hearted! A script supervisor must fully understand the language of TV and film. They should be totally familiar with how a set works and know the roles and responsibilities of each department.

You need to be friendly and approachable, and most of all, diplomatic! Set work is a collaborative effort after all, so excellent personal skills are vital. A script supervisor must know the script back to front and have an incredible eye for detail, being organised and always on the ball to make sure that nothing is missed.

A Script Supervisor is not an entry level position.  Here’s a few tips to starting out…

- Gain some experience on sets. This could be as a runner, assistant or another entry level job. From there, you can build up your understanding of working on sets and move up from there.

- Shadowing a script supervisor can be a really good way to gain much needed knowledge for the role.

- Even better, a trainee position would be a perfect way for you to ‘learn on the job’ as it were. Being guided by a professional Script Supervisor will fully prepare you for what the job entails and teach you the vital skills needed for this area of work.

Make sure to keep an eye on our website and follow us on social media for all updates and info regarding future courses.