What a page of notes looks like
The script supervisor fills one set of notes per setup. A page for a slate on the diner scene:
Sc. 14A Slate 14A INT. DINER - DAY (Story Day 3)
Cam A: 50mm, MCU on Maya over Joe's R shoulder, dolly push on "You kept it?"
Cam B: 85mm, CU Joe, static
| Take | Time | Circle | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:52 | Maya picks up mug with L hand on "kept it" line; Joe's napkin still folded | |
| 2 | 0:49 | O | Mug R hand (matches master), Maya says "You still kept it?" (added "still") |
| 3 | 0:31 | Cut: B cam lost focus | |
| 4 | 0:50 | O | Clean. Coffee level half. Joe's sleeve rolled once |
The notes page usually faces the matching page of the lined script, so the editor can see which lines the setup covers and what happened in each take.
What gets tracked
Anything that could fail to match from one shot to the next: which hand holds a prop and when it moves, the coffee level, cigarette length, wet or dry hair, a rolled sleeve, where an actor sits down on a line, eyeline direction, screen direction for exits and entrances, and dialogue that changed from the script. The report also records the story day, which tells wardrobe and makeup what day it is in the film's timeline even when scene 88 is shot before scene 3.
Departments keep their own photos too. The script supervisor's job is to connect them to the takes.
Where continuity breaks down
Most errors come from speed. When a setup turns around in two minutes, notes get abbreviated, and "R hand" in take 2 isn't marked as a change from take 1. Other trouble spots: not noting ad-libbed dialogue (which affects subtitles, ADR, and clearances), losing track of a prop that an actor pocketed at the end of a take, and circled takes that differ from what the camera report says.
Where it goes
Notes go to the editor with the lined script, usually daily. The day's totals go on the script supervisor report, which feeds the DPR. The script supervisor role page covers the job in more detail, and the continuity log template gives you a blank page to work from.