A shooting script is a document used within the film and motion picture industry that indicates how different scenes in a movie breakdown. This is basically a screenplay that has been adjusted by the director and other members of the film crew for use as a document to plan out different shots and days of filming. The pages of a shooting script are numbered, as are the individual scenes and shots that need to be filmed. This document also includes notations and instructions on how scenes will be filmed, with indications of different shots such as close ups and the angles that will be used.
While a screenplay is written out by a writer, as a way to tell a story on paper, the shooting script is written for practical purposes. It is typically a version of the screenplay that has been altered or adjusted for use in shooting the movie. As scenes are removed, added, or altered, the shooting script is also changed to reflect this. Each page of this script is numbered, and every scene within it is also numbered, to make it easier for directors, cast, and crew to all know exactly what is being filmed on any given day.
As changes occur to the shooting schedule or new scenes are added to a movie, the shooting script is adjusted accordingly. If a scene is added between the original scene "4" and "5," it is typically labeled as scene "4A" to avoid any confusion with the initial version. Similarly, if a scene is removed from the film, then the scene number remains within the shooting script, but its content is simply replaced with the word "omitted" to ensure people know it was removed and is not missing. The page numbers in this script are handled in a similar way, so that new pages get letters and those removed are indicated accordingly.
Directors and cinematographers typically make notations in a shooting script to indicate how different scenes are going to be handled during filming. This allows the cast and crew to better understand what is happening, and provides an overall guide for the shooting process. Technical cues are typically included in this, so that a scene within a shooting script might include notation such as "CU" for close up. Specific instructions on where the camera is facing are included, as well as indications of actor placement for shots over the shoulder of a character or scenes in which actors move in and out of frame.
