Script Timing & Page Breakdown

Get Certified in Script Timing & Page Breakdown

Taught by Brenda Wachel, script supervisor on the films JURASSIC PARK 3, OCTOBER SKY, BRIGHT, COLLATERAL, FURIOUS 7, and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER.

In this certification course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of how to do script supervising script timing & page breakdown for a film or TV series, which are essential tools that help the director, production staff and key crew members prepare for a shoot. This knowledge will allow you to contribute on any production team and is a critical step toward becoming a script supervisor that can work on any size of production for film or television.

The script supervisor is in charge of continuity on set, doing analyses of script and scene timing, and acts as the conduit between everything that is shot or captured on set and the post-production team, including editors and the special effects team. A script supervisor is responsible for "timing" a script and doing "page breakdowns" before a production begins. Timing a script refers to an estimation of how long it will take actors to deliver their lines and how long the action in each shot or setup will most likely take onscreen. This allows the director and producers to estimate how long a scene or act will be before production and helps with determining if films may need more or less material. Page breakdowns identify all of the elements (from props to sets to wardrobe, etc,) needed to execute production. Both of these skills are critical to help with the planning, scheduling and budgeting of a shoot.

The course will cover:

• How to Time a Script
• Tools Needed to Time a Script
• Reading and Acting it out
• Imagining the Pacing of Dramas and Comedies
• Interpreting the Speed of Character’s Dialogue
• Understanding the Length of Edited Shots Onscreen for Accurate Timings
• Page Breakdowns
• The Industry Standard of 1/8 Pages
• Actual Total Pages in Script

What is Individual Certification?

Individual Certification is a single course centered around one subject. Upon the completion of this course you will be Stage 32 Certified in this area of production. (To be Master Certified in a particular area of expertise, please see the Master Certification section of the platform.)

After viewing the course you will be given a test of your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. You have the ability to pause your course and go back to review sections as you are learning. You will be given three attempts to take the test. If you do not pass the test after the third time you will need to re-enroll in the course.

Once you pass the test you will be issued a Stage 32 Certificate recognizing your efforts in passing the course. You will also be listed in our master database accessible by film commissions, productions and any executives that are looking for talent. You will also receive a Stage 32 Certification badge that will be added to your Stage 32 profile, so people who are hiring on Stage 32 will know that you have completed a Stage 32 Certification course.

In addition to Stage 32, we highly recommend you post your Stage 32 Certificate on your LinkedIn and other social media profiles.

About the Instructor

You will learn directly from Brenda Wachel. Brenda is an accomplished and sought-after script supervisor with over 30 years of experience and credits on some of the biggest films of all time, including JURASSIC PARK 3, OCTOBER SKY, BRIGHT, COLLATERAL, FURIOUS 7, and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. She has worked with countless directors like Paul Haggis, Joe Johnston, Michael Mann, David Ayer, Tim Robbins, and Terry Gilliam and continues to serve as script supervisor for upcoming projects like Netflix’s mockumentary feature DEATH TO 2020, written and directed by BLACK MIRROR’s Charlie Brooker and starring Hugh Grant, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lisa Kudrow.

(Payment plans available at checkout)