Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546034
37 F A L L Q 3 I S S U E T E C H Ivan Victor. Lauren Connelly. Andy Elliott. Victor sat down with Connelly and Elliott to find out everything fellow editors need to know about how the tool works best on a show — from the first scene of dailies to the moment a director or showrunner sits down beside them. CineMontage: When you get dailies, what does setting up ScriptSync involve? Elliott: During prep, I'll build ScriptSync settings in Media Composer where I change and enlarge the font and widen the margins. I find it makes the script easier to skim and keeps things tidier as the script gets marked. By the end, the ScriptSync file will look like the script supervisor's lined pages. I'll also set up a line of communication with the script coordinator to ensure we always receive the latest version of the script in the required format for import into ScriptSync. Once we start getting dailies, I'll do the normal dailies prep and script each scene separately. CineMontage: Why scene by scene rather than a single document? Elliott: It's a personal preference. I find working scene by scene keeps things better organized and easier to read, and that's how Lauren likes it done. Some editors prefer to have fewer script files, so for them I'd script by act or reel. Scripts also work like Avid bins: if one of us has a script open, the other can't make any changes to it. CineMontage: So how does ScriptSync know which line in the script corresponds to that moment in the clip? Elliott: Each sc ript or action m ark matches back to the spot in the clip where the script marker was placed. CineMontage: There are AI features that will mark it for you. Do you let the AI take a pass and then clean it up, or is it quicker to do it manually the whole way through? Elliott: I find it quicker to do it manually, though I've spoken with other assistant editors who prefer to use ScriptSync AI f irst, then check every thing. I usually script at 1.5x to 2x playback speed, which I find much quicker than cleaning up any marks or dialog that ScriptSync AI might have missed or misplaced. I can catch any improvised lines and include nonverbal reactions or moments ScriptSync AI might ignore. I can also add marks to important scripted actions, especially in scenes that aren't dialogue-heavy. AI tools have im- proved over the last few years, but the final result is never as precise as I would like. I suppose it all depends on how the editor wants to use ScriptSync — some want only scripted dialogue marked; others want more information. CineMontage: Lauren, describe how you use ScriptSync on a first pass. Connelly: I know some assistant editors SEE PAGE 48