Shooting script

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Sample revision page

A shooting script is the version of a screenplay used during the production of a motion picture. Shooting scripts are distinct from spec scripts in that they make use of scene numbers (along with certain other formatting conventions described below), and they follow a well defined set of procedures specifying how script revisions should be implemented and circulated.

1 Overview
2 Preserving scene and page numbers
3 CONTINUED scenes
4 The revision slug
5 Revision marks
6 Software
7 See also

Overview

When a screenplay is approved for production, the scenes are assigned numbers which are included in the script alongside the scene headers. The numbers provide a convenient way for the various production departments to reference individual scenes.

After a shooting script has been widely circulated, any rewrites are distributed on revision pages. This avoids having to print and distribute an entirely new draft for every set of revisions. Revision pages are distributed on colored paper (a different color for each set of revisions), with the revisions themselves marked by asterisks. The progression of colors varies from one production to the next, but a typical sequence would be: blue, pink, yellow, green, gold, salmon, cherry, white, and then back to blue.

In some cases, usually before the start of principal photography, an entirely new "white draft" will be distributed in lieu of colored revision pages. The pages in a white draft are renumbered from scratch, while the original scene numbers are maintained.

Preserving scene and page numbers

When revisions are made to a shooting script, they must be accomplished in a way that doesn't disturb the pre-existing scene numbers. For example, if a new scene is to be inserted between scenes 10 and 11, the new scene will be numbered 10A. Every scene thus retains its own unique number throughout the course of the production. When a scene is omitted, its number is preserved in the script along with the phrase (OMITTED). This effectively retires the number so that it can't be reused by a new scene inserted later at the same location.

Page numbers in a shooting script are handled in a similar way. When revision pages are distributed, the page numbers must flow sequentially into the pre-existing page numbers. For example, if page 10 is revised such that it now occupies a page and a half, the revisions will be distributed on two pages numbered 10 and 10A. These two pages will replace page 10 in the outstanding drafts. Conversely, if pages 15 and 16 are shortened such that they now occupy a single page, the revisions will be distributed on a single page numbered 15-16.

CONTINUED scenes

When a numbered scene is split across pages, (CONTINUED) appears at the bottom of the prior page, and CONTINUED: appears at the top of the subsequent page. The CONTINUED: indicator appears along with the number of the scene being continued and a count of the number of times the scene has been continued thus far (the number may be omitted when it's equal to one).

A common formatting error seen in spec scripts is the inclusion of (CONTINUED) at the bottom of every page. CONTINUED indicators apply only for scripts containing numbered scenes (shooting scripts, in other words).

The revision slug

A slug (header) appears at the top of every revision page, aligned vertically with the page number. The revision slug typically includes the date the revisions were circulated, the color of the pages in parentheses, and usually, the name of the production or some other descriptive information. Every set of revisions is distributed along with a title page that includes a list of the revision slugs for every set of revisions distributed thus far.

Revision marks

Script revisions are marked with asterisks in the right hand margins of the revision pages. When many revision marks are present on a single page, or within a single paragraph or scene, the marks may be consolidated into a single mark. For example, if all the lines in a given passage of dialogue are marked, the marks can be consolidated into a single mark appearing alongside the name of the speaker above the dialogue. In the case of scenes, this single "consolidation mark" appears alongside the scene header. For pages, the consolidation mark appears beside the page number.

Software

Most screenwriting software applications include functions for handling the formats and procedures described above, with varying degrees of automation.