Every take of a line, straight from the script

The director wants the other read of the line. You know there was one. Somewhere in four days of dailies there is a take where she let it land, and you need it before the session ends.

With B/side you open the script and look at the line. The takes that cover it are right there, with how many camera setups they came from. Nobody sat up the night before lining the script to make that happen.

What you see in the script

• Every line shows its takes. Pick a line and you see each take that covers it.
• Setups are counted for you. You know at a glance whether a line was shot as a single wide or from several positions.
• Gaps stand out. A scene with no coverage is easy to see, so you know before you go hunting.
• There is no logging pass. The script is ready to use without anyone marking it up first.

The script beside the cut

Open the script and the layout makes room for it. The monitors move to the right edge, the script sits to their left, and the timeline stays below, so the page, the picture and the cut are all in view. Option-double-click a reading in the script and it is cut straight into the sequence. Any other panel can be dragged into the space beside the monitors when you need it there instead.

Why it matters

Finding the right read is most of cutting dialogue. When the takes for a line are one look away, you try your second choice instead of settling for the first one you found. Performances get better when trying another take is quick.

It also changes the conversation in the room. When a director asks whether there is a closer angle on a line, you can answer from the script before you open a single clip.

For assistants and for the editor

On a scripted show, lining the script is often one of the longest jobs an assistant has. Here the script already shows its coverage, so the assistant’s time goes to organising dailies, and the editor gets to the cut sooner.

Pair it with transcripts

When the line you want was improvised and never made it into the script, the transcript of each clip is where to look. Select the words and that phrase is marked in the Source monitor, ready to cut in.