Person of Interest


On set on Person of Interest

On set on Person of Interest, hiding during a steadicam shot.

Person of Interest was my first network television show. I joined on for season 3 and continued on seasons 4 & 5, ultimately working in some capacity on 52 of the show’s 103 episodes. The script supervising system on Person of Interest is pretty unique and uses ScriptE Multi-Unit to facilitate it. Person of Interest uses one main script supervisor for every episode, that means no alternating as is usual in TV. This allows for an incredible level of continuity. But no one is capable of being on set every single day, especially when once an episode we have an overlap day where one unit is shooting the first day of a new episode and the other is shooting the last day of the previous episode. It would be my job to cover one of these units, as well as keeping track of and script supervising all other units like inserts, stunts, effects, etc. Since Person of Interest is such a hard show to shoot there’s a ton of these other units always running and always other pieces to pick up. I also serve as backup to the main script supervisor when I’m not on another unit. If he is sick or has a car accident coming into work or whatever may occur, I’m up to date on every revision, all the daily script notes, and know what the main script supervisor knows so I can step into his shoes in a moments notice. This system has worked out tremendous for both of us.

In another closet on location with Person of Interest

In another closet on location with Person of Interest

Person of Interest is a machine that moves incredibly fast and we’re almost always actively shooting. It’s a rough gig that many say if you can make it through you can make it through any show, just based on having to shoot an action movie every 9 days. We also utilize New York City to it’s fullest potential. The POI crew are rarely in a climate controlled studio and usually out on the streets and rooftops of the city.

In my time at Person of Interest I have taken over the reigns of the main unit script supervisor for several episodes. The first was in season 3 on episode “4C” (directed by Stephen Williams and written by Melissa Scrivner Love & showrunner Greg Plageman), which took place almost entirely on an airplane and had a very tricky timeline. This sort of direct continuity I was well prepared for from my work on You’re Next. Filming for that episode also brought us to JFK airport where filming is rarely allowed for some unique shots.

 

Director Stephen Surjik rehearses with Jim Caviezel while I watch with writer Ashley Gable.

Director Stephen Surjik rehearses with Jim Caviezel while I watch with writer Ashley Gable.

In season 4 I was the lead script supervisor on the episodes “Pretenders” (directed by Steven Surjik and written by Ashley Gable), “Honor Among Thieves” (directed by Sylvain White and written by David Slack) which set up a major plot point, and mid-season finale “The Cold War” (directed by Michael Offer and written by Amanda Segal). I’m extremely proud of the work I was able to do on these episodes.

The POI crew is one of the hardest working around, as you’ll find most New York crews are, and a show like this wouldn’t be possible without the incredible work everyone puts in from the PA’s to the creative team. I’ve been working for a decade as a script supervisor in New York City and the speed and quality this crew manages to bring every single day is unmatched. I look forward to working more in the New York television community for years to come.