Industry Standard Draft Colors

[E.G. Gammon]

When writing a TV show (or a film?), each revised script (or script page) goes through a 'color change' and is printed on paper that color. Does anyone know the industry standard color sequence of draft pages? I need to know for a graphic feature on my upcoming website.

[Joe Calabrese]

Although some prod co's use their own standard (which a "legend" would be printed on the title page), which may be slightly different (Lucas and Speilberg like brown and red for anti-photocopying reasons) , the industry norm standard goes (all in pastels or softer shades):

White = 1st draft,
then blue,
pink,
green,
yellow,
goldenrod,
and finally salmon.

If you have to go past salmon (7 or more revisions) then start looking for a new job.

[E.G. Gammon]

Thanks Joe! I'm not worried about going past 7 revisions. I just needed to know because it adds to the graphics of my website.

My upcoming website looks like an open file folder, with what's inside, changing from section to section (one has a notecard, post-it, mini legal pad, and photos of me, another has an open spiral notebook, another has an open 3-ring binder, and the section about my novel series has a bound script on one side and a legal pad [my preferred style of notebook when writing my novel series] on the other). When I originally began my novel series, I intended for it to become a daytime soap opera - with scripts. So I thought it would be fun on my website, if I documented the evolution of the story and its format in the "script" section, with each drastic change in order, having a different color (in this case, the colors of script revision pages). So, the original idea and story will be talked about on a "white page," the next major change on a "blue page," and so on...

But, anyway, thanks again for providing the information! If I EVER finish the website, I'll be sure to credit you with the help in that area.

[odocoileus]

according to The Hollywood Standard,

white
blue
pink
yellow
green
goldenrod
buff
salmon
cherry
tan

then second white

I've worked on TV shows where we went all the way to second white, but as Joe noted, this is usually an indication of a significant problem. It typically has more to do with changes in the availability of locations, actors, or shooting days, than it does with writing issues. On most shows that I worked on, it was routine to go as far as green for some pages, but in terms of full revisions, it usually stopped at full pinks.

[Joe Calabrese]

buff?

When the hell did they add buff? I never get those memos. Damn!

[odocoileus]

buff?

When the hell did they add buff? I never get those memos. Damn!



Yeah, buff and the other colors past green are kinda weird anyway. I could never really tell the difference between buff and tan anyway. Put 'em side by side, sure. Each color alone, probably not.

What made them decide on those colors? Blue, pink, yellow, all primary colors. Makes sense. Green's a secondary, but still a basic color. But goldenrod, salmon, cherry? Looks like they let the fashionistas in the wardrobe dept. order the paper to match the new fall colors. "Didn't you hear, buff is the new beige." When mauve, taupe, and periwinkle are revision colors, I swear I'm getting out of the business.

[E.G. Gammon]

http://www.newschool.edu/admin/bizop/prnt_paper.html

If you go there, they have a color-coded chart of each one of those paper colors, though they warn: "Color shades shown do not necessarily match actual colors." But, close enough I guess; those are the colors I'm using on my website.

Thanks you two. Your help will add a depth of accuracy to my funky little website.