Kim Robinson

My name is Kim. I am a script supervisor and I'm currently based in the UK.

Kind of troubleshooting. Basically I'm a backup for all the departments, so I would be just making sure that we've got all our bases covered because we don't shoot in order.

So sometimes I'd be checking photographs if we shot a scene before, I'd also be rehearsing with the actors and the director, making sure that we're getting all the shots when we're planning the shots with the DOP (director of photography) that nothing's been left out or we've crossed the line.

And then I spent a fair amount of my time also putting in all the notes for the editing department.

Well, it's all go, it's nonstop.

In normal life, they say that your attention, like the focus that you have at work, kind of expands to maybe two hours of, three hours of real productive work. When I'm on a film set, it's from the moment I walk onto set. I have to be paying attention, be really attentive to, because it's all about the details.

So if I walk onto set, we go straight into rehearsals with the director and the actors, like I said. Then we would block it out with the technical crew, the DOP and the key grip and all of the different technical departments to make sure that they know what they're doing lighting wise.

And then I can, you know, see if there's anything like we've crossed a line and where the camera's being put or if we've left a shot out, I'll be able to engage with that.

And then it's basically checking to see that, you know, the actors, we shot something before making sure that they're ready to go, that the makeup's correct, like if they have any wounds, just double checking all the other departments so that I'm their backup.

I'm a team of one, mostly. If I'm really lucky, they'll give me an assistant, which is great because sometimes it's, you know, you're multitasking and I know multitasking doesn't really exist, but it does feel like you're multitasking because sometimes you'll be watching the monitor with the director, you'll be writing notes, also listening to a conversation over here while also this ear's listening to what the director's telling you to put notes for the editing department.

So it is kind of like a, you know, full on time of focus all the time. So the day feels for me like from the minute I walk onto set till I leave, even at lunchtime, if you're sitting at the lunchtime table, you know, usually there's somebody comes over and says, I just want to check for tomorrow. We've got the scene and we don't have and that will have some continuity question, which I would have to kind of, you know...

Or the director will be having a meeting about scenes that are coming up and they want some input. So you kind of constantly until they call wrap.

And then at the end of the day, you also still have to check your call sheet. So you have an idea of what you're shooting the next day. So one, you know where you're going. If it's not in the studio, the same location, you might be going somewhere else. That's the first thing.

The second thing is that you know what scenes are coming up. So you can check the continuity. So when you walk onto the set, you already know exactly what needs to be done for the day and you can check what needs to be sorted.

I think it's the people, you know, because there's such a diverse collection of humans that come together to make a movie.

And, you know, I created a book called A World Behind the Camera because so often people are not aware of how many people come together.

It's like the spokes of a bicycle, you know, you just have one or two that aren't working and the whole wheel starts to wobble and people don't realise that all of these individuals are these creative, sometimes a bit like off, you know, they're just amazingly inspirational individuals, which you get to engage with every day.

A friend of mine used to say, it's like going to war, because you're in the trenches with those people. And there's nobody off set when you're working, that truly understands the pressure and all of the things that you're going under, except for the people that are shoulder to shoulder with you.

When you're under pressure, when you're working overtime, when you're exhausted because it's like five days and it's just been a kind of a week, all of those elements, when there's immense amount of pressure to complete the days, nobody really understands that except these people.

So for me, they get you through the day, they're there to support you, and we're like a family. You get really close really quickly, because it's an intense amount of pressure from the get-go. There's no, okay, we'll warm into it. It's like day one and go! Okay, right, so in the trenches you go. So I'd say it's the people.

I think sometimes it's also the people.

It's the personalities. You've got the hierarchy on set. And then you've got all the other people that are bringing up the... You've got the heads of department, which is the hierarchy, which make a lot of the decisions. But then you've got all the people that are the support.

So for example, the gaffer, the lighting, that's the lighting support for the DOP. His team of sparks are equally important. He wouldn't be able to do his job without them. So at the same time, it's all these different personalities that come together.

And, you know, it's quite crazy to think that we get this job done. You know, people say, what do you do? And I say, I work in the film industry. And they go, wow. There's like, that's the magic.

But for me, the magic is that we are hired individually. We're words on a page, a script, to go and read and break down, each of us in our own capacity.

So the lighting department, the DOP, you know, the grips, all of us work separately. We then, you know, break down and whatever means necessary for our department. We usually come together for a production meeting. There's usually one production meeting where all the HODs, the heads of departments, are called round a table where you get to ask your questions.

For me, always before in prep, I'll have a meeting with the director if I've got anything that stands out or something that doesn't work, have a conversation with them, ask my questions, as will all the other departments.

But there's that one meeting where we get to ask specific questions. And then the magic for me is like on day one, we are shooting on a location that we've never been on where... where the set is dressed, the actors are standing in front of the camera in the correct makeup, be it a bruise or a wound from a fight that we haven't shot yet, and in the right costume with the right props.

And then they go, roll camera. And I'm like, now that's magic because there's no room for broken telephones. Everybody has to be on par and absolutely precise with their communication and what needs to get done to be able to have that happen when the camera turns over.

I studied to be an actress. Yeah, I actually did. I studied to be an actress.

I was cast in a movie and at the last minute they decided to go with somebody that was a heavy hitter because she had a name. So they were like, sorry, you know, even though we wanted you for the role, she's got more followers and she's more well known.

And I was quite broken and first assistant director on the job said, you know what would be a good idea for you is why don't you come and work in production like as a PA on set, because then you can learn about all the elements of filmmaking because you've learned you've come from stage, but this would be a great way for you to gain experience and understand how the elements work together.

So I was like, OK. And so I started as a PA on set. I fell into this world. And from there, I made my way up the production ladder.

And at one point I was a production manager on a small TV series. And we were on a way shoot and the script supervisor, the continuity person walked into the office, just, you know, in the middle of the morning. And I was like, what are you doing here? She said, no, the DOP fired me. I'm like, he can't fire you. I can't replace you.

And I rushed to set and I said, what are you doing? And he said, she's useless and she's got to go. And this was many years ago. You can't get away with that kind of behavior today, but this was many years ago.

And I said, well, what am I going to do? I don't have any replacement for you. He said, just bring me a student. I'll train them up on set.

And I got in my car and I was so, this production, it's just crazy. And I went, you know what? I need a change.

And I turned around, I went back to set and I said, right, from tomorrow, you'll be training me. He said, but you're the production manager. I said, yes, and I will do both because I'm well-prepared. I have a big, good team.

And like I say, it was a small TV series. So I went back to set the next day. In the morning I got up, went to the office, did my admin, got it ready for the day. I had my meeting with my production team, went to set, learned how to do scripting, and at lunchtime was signing checks and doing whatever else production and then back into my script supervising role. So that was my journey.

There have been so many, really. I think it's when you end up in a location like you've never been before.

I spent, for example, I spent two years shooting action movies in Bulgaria, of all places. And it was before Bulgaria had kind of, you know, landed. And so it was, they were an older film industry but very set in their ways.

So they brought in crew from all over the world, like sort of heads of department. And it was quite an eye opening experience because I came in the way that we were used to shooting and then realised that a lot of the Bulgarian people were set in how they worked.

So you had to kind of strong arm them to get things done because they needed to be told. And this was like I say, many years ago, like now they're fully functioning, they don't need that instruction.

But I remember an actor arriving on set and I would take all the continuity photographs and then I'd go and have a conversation with the makeup and say, here's your Polaroid pictures, because we did Polaroids back in the day. Here's your Polaroid pictures and you stick them up and then, you know, just let's keep to these.

I was checking on them because I could see they were very inexperienced, some of the makeup department. And the one actor walked on to set, you know, he'd been away or whatever and we had shot on him and he had stubble and I looked at him and I was like, wait a minute, got all my pictures, I'm like, he hasn't been, so I rushed to the makeup and I said, I don't understand what's going on, you know, he needs to have the stubble removed and they were like, okay Kim, no problem. I was like, no, no, you need to do that. You don't wait for me to come and tell you that you need to do it. And they were like, no problem.

And so then I realised I had to really step it up until we developed this rhythm that they could take responsibility and as long as they followed their notes and the photographs, they were good to go. And that was quite like, I had more responsibility than I was ready for.

Don't do it, don't enter the film industry! No, I'm kidding.

I think it's about trying to find a healthy balance for yourself within the industry because it is a taskmaster that demands a lot from you.

And sometimes you can get really burnt out because there's a saying, you're as good as your last job. So every job you're coming in, you need to give a hundred and ten percent which is not really a percentage, but it's more than is expected because you want to shine.

So there's never a time where you take your foot off the accelerator. You've got to be constantly driving. And I think if I had known to find that balance for myself, I wouldn't have burnt myself out so many times because there's this interesting feeling that you have after a production. You kind of crash and it's your body, your mind, your energy, everything crashes. And the only reason that happens, we call it the post-production blues, is because suddenly you're not running on your adrenals.

So a lot of time film industry people run on their adrenals and it's not a very healthy way to live because you're constantly in that stress, you know, fight or flight mode. So I think nowadays it's got a bit more gentle, but I would still be like, if somebody had said, just find the balance, you know. Don't take it to heart. To avoid fainting, just repeat after me: it's only a movie, it's only a movie, it's only a movie.

Because we do take it very seriously. If you're in the industry and you've been bitten by it, you have a passion and you just want to do your best and you're working with your team, your family.

So you come together and you're all working hard to make this incredible job and make it successful so that it's something you can be proud of.