Two meanings on the same set
The first is a take that starts partway through. On take 4 of scene 14, Maya nails the first half and then flubs a line. The director says, "Pick it up from 'You said Tuesday.'" Camera keeps its setup, sound resets, and the actors start from that line. The script supervisor logs it as 14C-5 PU, so the editor knows the take starts mid-scene.
The second is a separate shot added later. After watching dailies, the director realizes nobody shot a close insert of the note Maya slides across the counter. That insert becomes a pickup shot for a later day.
Tracking the list
The 1st AD and script supervisor keep a running pickup list. A line on it looks like:
| Sc. | Shot | Description | Cast | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Insert | Note slid across counter | Hand double OK | Rosie's Diner | Sched. Day 9 |
| 42 | Cutaway | Security camera POV of garage | None | Hill St. garage | 2nd unit |
| 19 | Line | Joe: "I already paid." Wide, off-mic OK | 3 | Diner parking lot | ADR? Check w/ editor |
Most pickup shots need no principal cast, which is why they're cheap to move. An insert with a hand double can go to a splinter unit while main unit shoots dialogue. Establishing shots and plates go to second unit.
Scheduling them
During production, the AD looks for a day already at the right location. Day 9 returns to the diner, so the note insert goes on day 9's call sheet as "Sc. 14 pt. (insert)" with 0 pages. Giving a pickup 1/8 page is a common way to keep it visible on the board even though the scene was already counted.
After wrap, a longer list becomes a pickup day, scheduled once the editor has built a cut and knows what's missing. That can be weeks or months later, which brings its own problems: actors' hair has changed, the location is gone, the season looks different.
Mistakes
A pickup list that lives only in someone's head. If the script supervisor leaves before post, nobody remembers why 42 needed a cutaway. Keep the list on paper and attach it to the wrap report.
Also avoid treating missing coverage of a key dramatic beat as a "pickup". If the scene's master and main close-ups are missing, that's a reshoot, and it needs a proper shoot day and budget conversation with the editor and producer.