Author Topic: E-SCRIPTS: Escripts- Do you HAVE to have them?  (Read 11360 times)

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KMC

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Re: Escripts=Do you HAVE to have them?
« Reply #15 on: Jun 07, 2013, 08:26 am »
I haven't seen this point made yet - so I will ask the question - does the length of the run have anything to do with your decision?

You'd get a lot more mileage out of a typed script in a six month run than you would a six week run. 
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megf

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Re: Escripts=Do you HAVE to have them?
« Reply #16 on: Jun 07, 2013, 12:06 pm »
RuthNY, I'm with you here - I'm not inclined to type a script unless there is clear evidence of the need for a modifiable copy.

Given I've spent most of the last several years doing new or extensively revised works, the Word or Final Draft file IS important in rehearsal (and afterward)... but as MatthewShiner pointed out, an original file usually comes to Stage Management already typed up in these situations, and once rehearsal begins the file is maintained by a PA or ASM or other script secretary. I've never received the script for a new show ONLY in hard copy (thank goodness!)

kmc307, I can honestly say the length of the run is irrelevant to me. I've done new shows with a run well under forty performances, and without a master electronic file, we'd have lost tons of invaluable rehearsal time.

MatthewShiner

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Re: Escripts=Do you HAVE to have them?
« Reply #17 on: Jun 07, 2013, 06:22 pm »
I think the run length is not in play for my decision.

These are the questions I have . . .

How much text changes are we expecting?  (Think Shakespeare)

How technically complex is the show?  (the ability to move text around a page to put the 26 cues that happen in four lines of text for example)

The possibility of future life (I want what I hand off to be pristine.)

How much prep time do I have?

The quality of the final project.

I have typed out scripts for one offs . . . because at the end of the day it made my life easier.
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

dallas10086

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Re: Escripts=Do you HAVE to have them?
« Reply #18 on: Jun 08, 2013, 08:33 am »
How technically complex is the show?  (the ability to move text around a page to put the 26 cues that happen in four lines of text for example)

YES. I may type up just one or two pages just so I have room for those long cue sequences.

noonday

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Re: Escripts=Do you HAVE to have them?
« Reply #19 on: Sep 12, 2013, 09:15 pm »
Things I would theoretically consider before typing a paper script (or printing an e-script!)...

- Cost per use. Yes, I like my margins a certain way and I like to add space, and I like line numbers for being on book. Is that enough to make it worth the (probably unpaid) time I will spend typing?

I've been searching all over for an answer to this, and have yet to find one, so I figured I'd ask you: is there a way to have editable line numbers? My script (Shakespeare's Merry Wives) is formatted such that if I have Word do the line numbers automatically, they don't line up correctly with the actual text's line numbers. If there were a way to manually adjust the numbers, that would be incredible, but it seems there might not be a way?

I'm thinking I'll probably have to insert a table in the margin to enter them myself, but if you or anyone has a way around this, I'd love the help.

brettnexx

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Re: Escripts=Do you HAVE to have them?
« Reply #20 on: Sep 14, 2013, 12:12 pm »
Things I would theoretically consider before typing a paper script (or printing an e-script!)...

- Cost per use. Yes, I like my margins a certain way and I like to add space, and I like line numbers for being on book. Is that enough to make it worth the (probably unpaid) time I will spend typing?

I've been searching all over for an answer to this, and have yet to find one, so I figured I'd ask you: is there a way to have editable line numbers? My script (Shakespeare's Merry Wives) is formatted such that if I have Word do the line numbers automatically, they don't line up correctly with the actual text's line numbers. If there were a way to manually adjust the numbers, that would be incredible, but it seems there might not be a way?

I'm thinking I'll probably have to insert a table in the margin to enter them myself, but if you or anyone has a way around this, I'd love the help.

My only suggestion for that is to separate the page into two columns, one small one for the numbers, and another larger one, for the text, the numbers will obviously have rows from the top to the bottom, whereas, the text column you will merge all the rows, so it's almost like a giant text box.

My thoughts on e-scripts. If the theatre requires you to have one, and they do not create one for you, you bill them for those hours. If it's your preference, you do it on your own time. If you have time during prep, even if it's not required, fantastic.

 

riotous