The sample is from Day 4 of SALT FLATS, and it shows the two situations a continuity log exists for. Scene 13 shoots before Scene 12, even though 12 comes first in the story, so the state of a prop has to be decided in 13 and then matched backward. Scene 16 at the diner has coffee being poured, mugs being lifted, and a bag that won't stay on the booth seat.
For what continuity is and how the editor uses these notes, see the glossary entries for continuity and continuity report. The script supervisor role page covers the rest of the job.
The three blocks, and what goes in each
Scene state
Fill this in before the first rehearsal. It's the checklist for what should be true at the top of the scene: the story day, which wardrobe change each character is in, hair and makeup, and what props are in whose hands. The "Matches" column names the scenes on either side in story order and says whether they've been shot yet.
Scene 13 is a good example. Dell's grease has to match Scene 11, which was shot on Day 3, so the script supervisor checks yesterday's photos with makeup before rolling. The race photo is harder. In the story June finds it in Scene 12 and has it in Scene 13, but 12 hasn't been shot yet. Whatever the actors do with the photo in 13 (which hand, folded or flat) becomes the rule for 12.
Take log
One row per take. Slate numbers come from the shot list, so the master is 13A and each later setup keeps its shot-list letter, like 13C and 13F. The columns are the ones an editor needs to find and choose takes: camera roll, lens, timing, and whether the take is circled.
The notes are where the job actually happens. Keep them short and specific:
- What broke a take ("Hollis dropped line").
- What changed from the previous take ("unfolds photo one line early").
- Dialogue changes, even when the director likes them ("added 'still'").
- Anything a department has to reset ("Reset mugs to full before T2").
- Eyelines on close-ups ("Eyeline camera L").
Circle only the takes the director asks for. On this day, 13A T2 and T3 are both circled because the director wanted options on when June reveals the photo. The editor sees that in the notes and knows why. The circle take glossary entry covers how circled takes get to the lab or DIT.
Timing on each take matters more than it looks. The master of Scene 13 runs 2:51 for 2 5/8 pages, which is a little over a minute per page. If the close-ups are running much faster or slower, the script supervisor tells the director, because it changes how the scene will cut.
Carry-forward notes
Anything a future setup or the editor needs to know goes here, with the scene and shoot day. Scene 12 gets a note because it's the next setup and has to match 13. Scene 17 was shot before 16, so its row records the mug levels that 16 has to end on. The last row tells the editor the dialogue change isn't in the script.
Filling in the log through the day
- The night before, read the day's scenes from the call sheet in shooting order and fill in the scene state rows from your breakdown, the wardrobe breakdown, and the prop list.
- Mark which neighboring scenes are already shot and pull your photos and notes from those days.
- At the rehearsal, watch for business with props and note which hand does what.
- When the slate is called, enter scene, slate, take, roll, and lens. Get the lens from the 1st AC.
- Time each take with a stopwatch from action to cut.
- After cut, write what happened and what changed. Ask the director whether to circle it.
- When a setup finishes, update the carry-forward notes for anything the next setup inherits.
- Log wild tracks and room tone from the sound mixer.
- At wrap, check your circled takes against the camera report and sound report, then send the log with your daily report.
Continuity mistakes that reach the edit
Hand changes are the classic one. June holds the photo in her left hand in the master and her right in the medium. Neither take is wrong, but they don't cut together, and nobody notices until the editor tries.
Liquid levels get forgotten between takes. A poured coffee has to be reset to full every time, and the log should say so.
Out-of-order scenes get treated as if they came first. When 13 shoots before 12, the log needs a carry-forward note for 12 or the photo will show up flat in the earlier scene.
Dialogue changes don't make it to post. An improvised line in a circled take can confuse the editor and the subtitle vendor if it isn't flagged.
Where the log goes
The take log travels with the lined script to editorial. The day's totals go on the script supervisor report, which feeds the daily production report. Shot plans for the next day come from the shot list, which is where you can see coverage coming before it's shot.
Continuity prep in Storiara
Storiara's Smart Review reads the uploaded script and generates a checklist of issues grouped under prep, scheduling, and budget. In the script and breakdown view you can tag wardrobe, props, makeup, and hair items on each scene, which gives you the scene state before the shoot. It doesn't keep a take log. The script analysis feature page explains what it pulls from a script.