Continuity errors captured on film — boom shadow, misplaced prop, timeline jump. Script supervisor logs them so editorial can work around or reshoot.
They happen on set every day — an actor suddenly wears a different watch, the coffee in the mug is half full instead of empty, the lamp in the background was off before. Script supervising meticulously documents every one of these visual breaks so that the editor knows which takes are usable and which will cause problems later.
Goofs arise in practice from three sources: Firstly, classic continuity errors — actor's position, costume details, prop placement between shots. You shoot a close-up after a wide shot, and suddenly the performer is sitting differently in the chair or the bottle is on the other side of the table. Secondly, technical glitches in the shot — the boom mic enters the frame, a camera assistant walks through the frame, a slate doesn't get out of the way in time. Thirdly, deliberate or unconscious deviations from the shot plan, for example, if a door opens in the wrong direction or a window is on the other side of the room in shot two.
The script supervisor sits next to the camera and notes during each take: Which props are where? Which hand is holding which object? In what order are movements performed? These Polaroids and notes are later worth their weight in gold in the edit — or a lifesaver if a technical error is only noticed during editing. For reshoots, you can then precisely recreate what was standing and lying there at the time. Particularly tricky are temporal continuity errors: the internal logic of a cut is broken if, between two consecutive shots, minutes must have passed that are not visually apparent.
The most trouble comes from details overlooked in the heat of shooting — a cigarette that is five centimeters shorter between two takes, or a blouse with buttons fastened differently. In the edit, such errors become a distraction for the viewer or a jump cut that appears unintentional. Matching between takes becomes complicated. Professional productions therefore maintain strict checklists — and even then, errors creep in. The script note is the only insurance against the edit later stalling.