The Complex Art of Script Supervising

'The Curse' and 'Friendship' Script Sup Hannah Driscoll discusses the nuances of the job; also, we unveil several new segments.

Exciting news from Nothing Bogus HQ! Things are changin’ round these parts. I’m talkin’ format. Starting this week, we’re going to start experimenting with a few new segments. You will love them. So much, I hope, that you consider taking the $5 you might spend on a single coffee and putting it towards a month’s worth of A+ emails from your favorite newsletter. Every bit of support means a lot, and ultimately it makes this thing possible.

"It's an 8th of a page Michael, what could it cost? A million dollars?"

What does it cost to (legally) shoot in the NYC subway?

Line producer extraordinaire Pete McClellan breaks it down.

Pete McClellan: We shot in the subway for The Dutchman. The film is based on a play that entirely takes place on the train. So not only was shooting on the train necessary, but having full control was fundamental to the movie being a success. So there was never a thought of stealing shots or restricting ourselves to certain moments.

The first step was having a location manager reach out to the MTA and ask for scouts. They took us around to a few different options for stations. They also took us around to the transit museum, which has all the old trains. But ultimately, for the creative of the film, trying to make a stationary train look like it's moving and alive wasn't possible. So we needed an actual moving MTA train, and we got a big agreement together with the MTA. It's one of those things where it's not like you're giving them your location agreement. They're telling you what you’re going to do and what the rules will be. There's a price for the platform alone without the train on it and then there's a price with the train.

We ended up in the old Bowery station, which is now defunct and used for NYPD training. So it's just an empty station that they can bring various trains into. They provided us with the station, the train, the engineers to run the train, overnight security so we could leave our gear on the train. We had all of that for a week, doing ten hour days. They were very strict on the times. We couldn't have the train operators work longer than ten hours. So we had shorter days. We had to lug all of our gear into the station, which took a little while on the front and back end. Once we were down there they really took care of us. They had security for us. And the cost was the biggest line item on the budget. You'd have to talk to the MTA to get a rate for the specifics of what you're requesting. But they charged us about $327,000 for use of the train. And then another $25,000 or so for use of the platform. So all together about $350K for the week. That's a little insane, in that I've made full movies for less than that. But also for what we got, it kind of makes sense. You're hiring four employees from the MTA for a week of work, the train, plus the station, plus in and out. Yeah, it’s a lot.

Pete McClellan is a Brooklyn based Producer, Line Producer, and UPM, whose credits include The Dutchman, which premiered at SXSW '25, Dandelion available on AMC+, and All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, from Pastel and A24. His Instagram is @mcclellanpete.

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INSPIRED LINE READINGS

Paul Giamatti in Duplicity (2009)

Script by Tony Gilroy.

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THE FEATURE ATTRACTION

How to Best Utilize a Script Supervisor

An interview with Hannah Myvanwy Driscoll, who has script supervised for big blockbusters like Ant-Man and the Wasp, acclaimed indies like Friendship and Dicks: The Musical, and hit scripted series’ like Pen15 and The Curse.

Recently, I’ve become convinced that a script supervisor has, if not the most difficult position on a film set, certainly the most under-appreciated. These people have to keep track of a million moving parts; interface with nearly every department; anticipate future problems while catching current ones; communicate calmly and concisely in stressful moments; and have an eye for detail but also an understanding of the bigger picture. In the best case scenario, their work goes unnoticed. In the worst? A glaring mistake slips through the cracks and ruins a key scene.

At this point, there are plenty of online tutorials and job descriptions that lay out a script supervisor’s role. But the best script supervisors bring intangibles that take years to learn and master — and that can not only save a movie, but elevate it. I haven’t worked with Hannah Myvanwy Driscoll, but from everything I can tell — given her resume and the way she talks about her role — she is someone who performs the job at that level.

Driscoll learned the craft in her undergrad film program, at Long Beach State, and then through a 2015 mentorship program with Randi Feldman. Her photographic memory and synesthesia certainly help. But there’s a lot to learn from her approach, whether you’re a fellow script sup, a director, producer, or just someone who digs movies. We discussed how the best productions utilize script sups, what mistakes audiences notice, and what she’s learned from observing various great directors.

Early in the process, you’re obviously going through your script breakdown with the director. But are you also having conversations about how they want to be receiving notes and feedback, and which notes they even want to be receiving?

Yeah, I can give you an example. So say you're interviewing me, and you're directing, I would say, “It's very nice to meet you. I read your script, and it's really inspiring. I like X, Y, Z about it. I do find that A, B, and C might be a little bit challenging. But what I do with my notes is I tailor them to your directive, and since it's a comedy, I know you're probably going to want to lean into ad libs. So what I would suggest is giving me a heads up on the lines that you like, and the jokes that you like, so we can match them when we get to match coverage. If it's a multicam shoot, I would highly recommend getting match coverage instead of hosing it down directionally. But if that can't be done, I can definitely make sure that everything that you capture is something that can be repeated, and I'll remind the actors of all of these ad libs, as well as the storyline and plot of your scene. So in case it shifts a little bit with comedy, we can reel it back in. And I'm a great sounding board if you like to talk things out. I understand that not every director likes to circle takes anymore. But I would suggest we do that for the edit, just to give you kind of a heads up of what you liked and didn't like.”

It seems like you're very adaptable, and you can work with different directors in the way they like to work. But in your experience, once you get to set, are there certain ways that directors work with you that you find are most conducive to the best work?

Yes, the directors that trust me the most with my craft, and give me the permission to execute the continuity. Fast track it, if you will.

What does that mean?

I'm very rule-oriented on set with continuity, as adaptable as I sound. I'm making sure that all the boxes are checked. I ask the director right away, “Do you want this verbatim? Do you want this ad libbed? Or do you want something in between?” We usually talk about the plot to make sure those plot points are hit, and I will ask them permission to run lines with the actors. Or, after a take, if something is flubbed or the wrong prop is picked up with the wrong hand, etc, I'll ask them permission to go in and tell the actor, “Hey, can I correct this?”

A director that is really good at using my full potential would be somebody who recognizes my skill set and respects it to the point where they say, “Please go in. Do the continuity with the actor. I'll let you know if it's not a good time to give a note, but otherwise I trust you to go in without asking.” That really helps me out because I can do it quickly. Resets happen very fast. I know how to communicate with the actor in a way that they'll remember, especially with running lines. I find, especially with comedies, that it does tend to warm the actor up a little bit with the pacing and the beats of the joke, so that when they get to that first take, the director can already play around.

Also, it’s great when you have a kind director. I know that sounds crazy. But when somebody’s pleasant to be around, it makes you want to give 110%.

I think that there are a lot of directors who are kind. But then things get stressful and tense, and they don’t want to hear from the person who’s about to point out errors. So how do you navigate those tensions?

Going back to pre-production, I try to break things down according to importance: First Level, Second Level, and then Third and onward, for each scene. So if it's something that's a Level Three or lower, and there’s all this pressure on set, I might not say anything, because I'll get in the way of the performance, and I'll get in the actor's head. If it's a key plot line that needs to be communicated, I will whisper it to the director. I will say, “I'm so sorry to bring this up again, but they really need to hit X, Y, Z, which is something you highlighted to me at the beginning of this scene. Just reminding you of your note again. I know you're under a lot of stress right now. Let's try to figure this out together.” I always try to make it clear that we’re on the same team. “At the end of the day, when you're in the editing bay, you're going to want them to say that key line. And how do we get there?” I use a lot of “we” pronouns and confidence boosting language. And a lot of times, it’s knowing when to give the note.

I can even hear from the way that you're describing it that a lot of it is tone and body language, too.

Oh my gosh, yes! And, you know, the director’s on an island a lot of times. They have to think twenty steps ahead, and they want to think creatively. They don't want to worry about logistics. I'm always like, “What can I take off your plate? Is it blocking? I can do that with the DP. You talk to the actors about delivery and tone. Or is it framing? We can match that all day. Don't worry about that. Is it eyeline? Got you, no worries.”

I want to be that bridge to other departments, too. Like if the director's super stressed and they're only talking to me, which has happened before, I want to give other department heads the ability to give me continuity notes for the edit and not stress out the director. And then maybe I can quietly fix that. Say there's a hair continuity thing, and the actor’s hair falls in front of their face, I’ll go to the actor and I'll say, “Hey, I just want to show you this line really quick. And also, do you mind tucking your hair? This needs to match. So please try to remember that.” And then that takes it off of the director's plate.

Have you noticed the types of continuity kind of mistakes that audiences pick up on, and the types that they maybe don't or are forgiving of?