How it sounds on set
After a take, the director says something like "That's great, circle that, let's go again for safety." The script supervisor, sitting at video village, circles the take number on their daily log. The 2nd AC hears it and marks the camera report, and the sound mixer marks the sound report or metadata. Nobody announces it over walkie. It's a conversation between the director and the people keeping records.
Sometimes the director asks at the end of the setup: "Which ones did we like? Three and five? Circle both."
What the notes look like
A script supervisor's log for one setup might read:
| Slate | Take | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42A | 1 | 0:48 | Line flub, "Tuesday" for "Thursday" |
| 42A | 2 | 0:52 | Boom in top of frame at end |
| 42A | (3) | 0:50 | Circled. Director likes pause before exit |
| 42A | 4 | 0:22 | Incomplete, cut at door |
| 42A | (5) | 0:51 | Circled |
The parentheses stand in for the drawn circle. On the lined script, the same takes get noted for the editor on the facing page.
Why it still matters with digital
With film, lab costs made circling a budget decision: printing every take was expensive, so the lab printed only the circles. Digital removed that cost, but the circle survived because it saves editorial time. An assistant editor building bins from dailies will often sort circled takes to the top or add a marker, so the editor on a deadline can find the director's picks without scrubbing through every take.
Common mistakes
Circling everything. If six of seven takes are circled, the circles tell the editor nothing. Ask the director to narrow it down.
Mismatched reports. If the script supervisor circled take 3 and the camera report circled take 4, someone misheard. The script supervisor's log is normally the reference, but catching the mismatch the same day avoids confusion when post finds two versions. Check reports against each other at wrap.
Forgetting the other camera. On a two-camera setup, the director may like A camera on take 3 and B camera on take 5. Script supervisors note which camera the circle applies to, and the camera report for each body should match.