Final-form screenplay — scene numbers, shot list, timing cues, all technical notes for set execution.
The shooting script is not simply the finished screenplay—it is the operational document that guides the entire shoot. While the synopsis and early screenplay versions still leave room for interpretation, the shooting script specifies what will be filmed, in what order, and under what conditions. It includes scene numbers (sequential, independent of story chronology), length indications in pages and frames, camera notes for framing, lighting specifications, and often initial indications of required props or special effects. The director and the line producer work with this version to create the production schedule—who shoots where and when, which locations and crew are needed.
On set itself, the shooting script becomes the daily bible. The Assistant Director marks which scenes have been shot, which variations have been tried, where problems occurred. The cinematographer and their focus puller use the technical annotations as a guide for focal lengths and movement sequences. Editors receive an annotated version with the actually shot takes—not all scenes are realized as planned, some are dropped, others get additional takes. These versions are then called editing shooting scripts, which document what is actually in the can.
The shooting script fundamentally differs from the reading script that the actor receives—this is formatted more sparsely, focusing on dialogue and character, not technical details. It also differs from the later post-production script, which the editor uses and in which editing changes are documented. There are often multiple versions of the shooting script during pre-production—blue, pink, green mark revisions (depending on international color conventions). Each new version is printed on colored paper so that everyone on set immediately sees if they have the current version.
A good shooting script is precise, but not rigid. It dictates enough to ensure efficiency, but leaves room for creative spontaneity—a balancing act that only experienced directors and production managers truly master. It is the backbone of the entire realization.