GridGirl Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 I'm about to take over a show as stage manager, partway through the run, and today when I was looking at the prompt book I realised the outgoing SM has put her book together the opposite way to me. I always put the script on the left side of the book, and the cues on the right - it looks backwards, and it means you have to punch holes on the wrong side of the page, but I find it much easier to work from that way. So, all the SMs and DSMs (and anyone else who calls shows!) here, which way do you have yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 Is this for a right-handed or a left-handed SM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 As a right-handed DSM, I have just switched to putting the script on the LHS after actually sitting there and thinking about it. The most common way I've seen is script on the RHS, but to me it is easier to be able to follow the script with my left hand for prompting while writing blocking with my right, rather than having my arm cover the script. Having said this, I'd be happy to take over a book for cueing purposes if the script was on the RHS, since I find a little easier on the eye to call that way around. So all in all, a personal preference but one which a good DSM should probably be able to cope with either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted October 31, 2006 Author Share Posted October 31, 2006 Is this for a right-handed or a left-handed SM? Right-handed And I agree, a good DSM should be able to cope either way! Once I've adjusted to it it won't be a problem, I hope.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie.west Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 I do neither... I have the script double sided interleaved with blank paper, so it changes sides each time you turn the page... The reason behind this is that you will be able to create a neater book... If you've been rubbing out mistakes and rewriting things the whole thing can get a bit messy. You can just take out the old peice of paper and replace it with a new one, somthing you can't do when the script/score is copied on the back... It also means that if cueing sequences change you can just take them out and keep them in case they get changed back. This is very valuable during tech as director's minds can often change a lot... That's just my personal preference anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilko Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 I go for the script on the LHS for the same reasons as blackbird, I find it a lot easier to work from. But again with prompt books I think that there's quite a lot of personnel preference involved tends to be whats easiest for the DSM, as long as its neat and easy to follow then its up to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeStoddart Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 I always have the script on the right and the cues on the left (I'm right handed) It probably comes from how I was taught to lay out a TV camera script with an underline leading to the cue word which has a / at the end. But having recently seen a script that was punched the other way round (holes on the right hand side of the paper) it got me thinking if this could be easier. If I could clarify in my own mind how to indicate the cue point I'd give it a try. (apologies for bring an old post forward but I'm catching up on quite a backlog of posts and this looked interesting) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I have to say that as a result of this thread I marked up my LX script for the January panto with the blank page on the right, as an experiment. However, I made a rather easy to make mistake which led to the script being rather odd....When punching the holes, I simply punched them with the script in the normal order, them promptly (pun intended) marked up the script from there - turning the pages before I'd put them in the binder.I then stuck them in the ring binder and suddenly realised .... the script was actually back to front - ie I had to start Act 1 Scene 1 at the BACK of the book, and turn the pages backward! Having marked everything already (VERY busy LX plot) I couldn't very well re-mark it, so ended up using it as was. It felt rather weird at first, but got used to it. But GG is right - it was easier to mark and annotate for a right-hander like that. Ho hum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted February 4, 2007 Author Share Posted February 4, 2007 I've done this too - I always have to stop and think about it when I'm putting a script together. My latest discovery, though, is that if you print your script off your computer, and don't have the "reverse print order" enabled then your script is the right way round to punch it in one go and put it straight in the binder without having to re-order it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalangel Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 I was taught by a DSM who put her script on the RHS, and hence I adopted doing it that way. Never thought of putting script of the LHS before now, but now you've mentioned the idea, I can see it makes a lot of sense. Will definately give it a try next show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 I'm never sure quite why, but I always treat the book as a personal thing. It isn't just the script location, it's all the little bits like cue point markings, notes, blocking info that make the thing a nightmare for anyone having to do book cover. I think the only thing that matters is that the person using it understands it completely - most people develop their own system from guidelines, suggestions or even rules from the person training them. I've seen cue points marked with a thick line, thin line, line with bent up end, coloured highlighter, dotted lines, no line at all with boxes around the cue points - all seemed to work for the DSM using them. Perhaps we should just consider all the suggestions and pick the ones that work best for us, rather than other people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emilystacey2007 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I definatley do it your way as it is much easier to read, and I have been taught how to do it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Welcome Emily, You say you do it "your" way - um - out of the ways described above...... which way? I'm guesing that if you're at college, there's a 50/50 chance they have got it right. Sometimes, Stage management is taught by people who haven't ever done it and they mix up the standbys with the go cues, often don't make columns for splitting the cue from the action etc - sometimes very odd things. One I went to told the students to stick the script (A5 size) to the A4 page. They did, each line of dialogue at a time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbos Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 I'm about to take over a show as stage manager, partway through the run, and today when I was looking at the prompt book I realised the outgoing SM has put her book together the opposite way to me. I always put the script on the left side of the book, and the cues on the right - it looks backwards, and it means you have to punch holes on the wrong side of the page, but I find it much easier to work from that way. So, all the SMs and DSMs (and anyone else who calls shows!) here, which way do you have yours?I have my cues on the right as I am right handed so the rings in the folder do not get in the way when I right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gherriott Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 I tend to have script and only the script! I then use a green and a red/pink highlighter, pinky one for standby and green for GO. I usuallyprint the script so that the script is A5 printed on A4 paper, allowing space at the sides to write what I am standbying and what I am cueing to GO. I find the highlighters work well, as my working light is congo blue, which makes the highlighters really stand out on the page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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