What is a lined script?

A lined script is the shooting script with vertical lines drawn down the pages, one line per setup, showing exactly which lines of dialogue and action each shot covers. The script supervisor draws it on set, and the editor reads it in post to see, at a glance, what coverage exists for every moment of a scene.

What the lines mean

Every line starts where the shot starts covering the page and stops where it stops. Reading across a page, you see how many angles cover each line and where a moment was captured in only one size. Conventions vary a little between script supervisors and productions, but the core is the same everywhere:

• Straight line: the character speaking, or acting, is on camera.
• Wavy line: the lines are heard, but the character is off camera.
• Setup label: the scene, the setup and the shot (for example a close-up on one character) written at the top of the line.
• Circled takes: the take numbers the director liked, written at the foot of the line, so the editor knows where to start.

How to read one

Start at a line of dialogue and look left or right across the page. Each line that passes through it is a setup that covers it. A line that is straight at that point means that angle sees the speaker; a wavy one means it is on the listener. The editor uses this to find a reaction shot, to see whether a line has a clean alternative, and to spot a pickup the day has not yet covered.

The facing page

A lined script usually comes with a facing page: the page opposite each script page that lists the setups, takes, notes and timings for what is on it. Together the lined page and its facing page are the document editorial works from.

How a lined script is made on set

After each setup, the script supervisor draws that setup's line on the page, working from what the camera actually covered rather than what was planned. On paper, that means a ruler and a pen between takes. On an iPad, it means drawing the line with a finger or Apple Pencil, and the app carries the setup's name and its circled takes with it.

Scripty lines the script by setup on iPhone and iPad: straight on camera, wavy off camera, each line labelled with its circled takes, and the lined script exports as a PDF with a facing page after every page. A revised page keeps your setup lines. On the Mac, you line with the mouse in Scripty for Mac.

What the editor does with it

The lined script, the take log and the continuity notes travel to post together. The editor reads the lines to plan the cut, finds circled takes fast, and comes back to the notes when a shot does not match. Handing over a clear lined script saves the editor from guessing what exists. For the whole role, see what a script supervisor does, and for the paper side, Scriptease keeps free script supervisor templates.

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