out the scripts." During this
time, Hoen decided that she
wanted to be a director, and
that the best route to becoming
one was through script super-
vision because, "they work
side-by-side with the director."
She enrolled in a script
supervision course and con-
tacted a couple of working
supervisors to ask if she could
observe them at work. "I would
script supervise quietly in the
background, and then we
would talk and compare what
I did with the notes she took. I
just learned from being on set."
While continuing to work as
a production assistant or
writers' assistant on sitcoms,
Hoen gained experience han-
dling script supervision for the
show's splinter units. "No one
really wants to give a script supervisor their first chance, because there is
so much responsibility in the job. The mistakes show on film. Shots won't
cut together because they don't match. Your notes are important to an
editor; it saves them a lot of time if they don't have to sit and watch every
little take." Experience working with the splinter units enabled her to
move permanently into supervision.
Hoen's early jobs were on television specials and variety shows, then
came series work, and her first feature, Forsaken. She script supervised a
number of children's television series, including The Secret World of Alex
Mack, The Journey of Allen Strange, and 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd. It was
one of the executive producers of The Journey of Allen Strange who discov-
ered Hoen's goal to direct and gave her a break. "It was an episode of a
half-hour, single camera film. That, by far, was a highlight of my career,
to know that people trusted me so much that they gave me a chance to
direct." While she enjoyed the experience, it taught her that she no longer
wanted to pursue directing as a career.
Hoen subsequently worked on the Tim Burton special Lost in Oz, and the
television series C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigations, Pasadena, and That's Life.
....
Whether you're
working on a small
independent film, a
series, or a feature, "it's
just as important that
things match and shots cut together. The job
is the same, the only difference is how much
you get paid."--Susan Youngman Hoen
"Some directors are really verbal and
tell you what their plan is and how they
want to cover everything. With them, it's
easy to make sure you don't miss anything.
But some directors keep it all in their head,
so you just have to go with the flow and
make sure that you pay attention to what
they talk about. Some directors will just tell
their director of photography, and some will
tell their AD. You just need to be around
and pay attention, without being annoying."
--Susan Youngman Hoen
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