#267 - Understanding The Continuity Sheet

Sometimes knowing something as simple as a little industry lingo can go along way.

In this issue of Cut/daily I wanted to share a quick breakdown of what a Continuity Sheet is, and how you go about filling one in as an assistant editor.

But first a story, from 1st Assistant Editor Richard Sanchez's Cut/daily Meets... interview.

What did your biggest professional failure teach you?

Before you admit to not knowing something, ask for clarification.

The example I often use is, I had an interview for a high profile television show that I didn't get. I still remember the exact moment when I realised I wasn't going to get the job.

They asked me if I knew "scripter" and I said, "I don't know what scripter is."

The silence hung heavy with their stares clearly exclaiming, "NEXT!"

As I walked to my car, I called a more experienced colleague and I said, "Have you ever heard of 'Scripter'?"

And they said, "Yeah, that's Script Sync."

I thought, I know Script Sync!

Had I said, "I'm unfamiliar with the term 'Scripter' but I might know it by a different name, could you describe it to me?" Maybe that interview would have gone differently.

Terminology can be thrown around quite interchangeably, but I've found more often than not, when somebody uses a term that I've never heard of, I probably do know what they mean by a slightly different term.