This is the highest-level assistant position in the TV writing world. In fact, it's so high up the ladder, the title doesn’t even have the word “assistant” in it anymore.
Sure, you’ll still be looked at and treated like an assistant, but you’re as close as possible to being a writer and to possibly getting a freelance script.
Script coordinators are in charge of how the script is formatted and looks, the title page, and even the distribution of the script at night.
The script coordinator is an expert in Final Draft, and will be responsible for denoting changes in each draft and communicating changes to production and to set.
When it comes to the script, they are often the intermediary between the showrunner and everyone else, and departments will rely on them to get them the information they need.
The script coordinator will also be required to create distribution lists for the scripts. This includes everyone on the crew, in the offices and the executives.
This is a rotating list of about 150 people. And there will be emails every day for the first two months from crew people who should be getting the email but aren’t, or crew people who have moved on to other shows and don’t want to be getting the emails.
It’s a job in and of itself to manage these lists and who should be getting what draft.
Every time changes are made to a script, the script coordinator will proofread the script and put out a new draft.
With each new revision, a new specific color is given to the pages of the script, and those colors are the same across all TV shows. It goes like this:
White (this is the first draft of any script)
Blue
Pink
Yellow
Green
Goldenrod
Buff
Salmon
Cherry
Double White
Double Blue (and on and on)
If you’ve gotten to Double White during a production week, something has gone horribly wrong. Everyone’s script looks like a rainbow and you are having a bad week. You have my sympathy.
There’s a ton of responsibility with this position and the eyes of the entire production are on you.
And every time you press send on a new revision of a script, you are aware of all these possible outcomes and are just praying you didn’t miss anything.
On dramas with a large world building aspect to them, the script coordinator may be asked to keep a bible for the show. This includes information about the characters, story points and any other criteria the showrunner deems necessary to track and keep as an easy reference.
If you choose to take a Script Coordinator job, choose your environment carefully.
This is a stressful job, and you don’t want your hair falling out or PTSD because there’s a new fart joke on page 6 that you have to put out on Saturday night and you have to leave your friends to go home and distribute new pages for the actors to read.
Fart jokes should not dictate your life!
If you do find the right showrunner and work environment, it can be fine. Stressful but not abusively so. Just be careful out there.
