‘It ain’t true ’til it’s Blue’

Led by 1st Assistant Director Patrick James Stephens, this two-day course offers an in-depth study in how to effectively prepare, mark up & breakdown a script for a film or tv production schedule. The course will demonstrate the tagging abilities of Final Draft and what is required for exporting into Movie Magic scheduling.

What does the course include:

Understanding how to read a script for production purposes.
How to mark up scene headings and elements (cast, props, background)
Learn about formatting issues, page count, how to correct & amend - why it matters for scheduling
Check & correct scene headings and character/elements consistency.
How to 'tag' effectively in Final Draft and export to Movie Magic
Scheduling.

Who is the course for?

Anyone wishing to understand how to mark-up scripts whether for preproduction or just for use on the filming day(s). Assistant Directors, Set PA’s, 3rd ADs and upwards.

Final Draft Licenses

With thanks to Final Draft and Sargent-Disc, we can include the complimentary loan of a Final Draft licence for each attendee for the duration of the course.

Patrick James Stephens - 1st Assistant Director

Since 2001 Patrick has worked as a 1st AD on a diverse range of budgets for both film & tv productions and became a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in 2022.

Beginning his career as a Floor Runner for London Weekend Television on ‘The Magician’
a contemporary thriller starring Clive Owen. Patrick worked his way up to 3rd Assistant Director & then as a 2nd AD primarily on television drama for the BBC, ITV and many independent production companies.

Last year Patrick finished filming on ‘Night in Paradise’, an adaptation of the German Graphic Novel directed by Matthias ‘Das Boot’ Glasner and shot on location in Brussels & earlier in the year, wrapped on ‘History of the Pleasure Seeker’, a period musical drama set in the 1900’s for ABC Signature. The pilot was directed by Julie Anne ‘Bridgerton’ Robinson shot on location in Amsterdam and the home counties.

Patrick has extensive experience filming outside the UK in countries including Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Balearic Islands & Sweden.

Cost for the two-day course:

PG member: £295 + booking fee(£4.33) + VAT @ 20% £59.87 = £359.20

Non-member: £375 + booking fee(£5.45) + VAT @ 20% £76.09 = £456.54

We recognise that this is a challenging time for many in our industry and we're keen to make this course accessible. So if cost is a barrier for you, please get in touch with us by emailing training@productionguild.com.

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Training Terms and Conditions

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‘It ain’t true ’til it’s Blue’

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