How to read a editors script.

[Michael Phillips]

Are you referring to a lined script? Something that looks like:
https://scriptonset.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/lined-script.pdf

The lined script is the script super’s or continuity person’s work on set that indicated to the editor the complete coverage for any part of the scene – be it action or dialog. Straight lines indicate character speaking the dialog can be seen on screen (facing) while the squiggly indicated the dialog can be heard, but speaker not directly seen. Think of an over the shoulder two shot where one speaker is seen at one time but the other is heard.

Avid’s interactive digital equivalent of the lined script is ScriptSync which allows all coverage to be associated with the digital version of a script and review, editing and such can be done directly from the script. Media Composer and Symphony are the only NLE’s that allow for this very unique approach to editing and a video demonstration of the feature can be seen here:

https://www.avid.com/US/products/scriptsync

ScriptSync, like its kissing cousin PhraseFind is an additional paid option. But note that for ScriptSync, you can still line a script manually, but takes much longer than the automated phonetic alignment of the ScriptSync engine. Once a script is lined via ScriptSync, it can be used on any system without the ScriptSync engine.

ScriptSync can be an amazing feature when working with your director, I wish it would get an update to the actual interaction and presentation as the core UI hasn’t changed or been updated since it was first implemented in the 1997 era. There is so much more that this could do for both drama scripts and transcripts than what it does now.

Michael