Finding the Coverage Sweet Spot: A New Script Sup's Query for Directors

Hey everyone,

I'm Megan Foster, a script supervisor just starting out, and I'm genuinely trying to wrap my head around a common issue I'm seeing, both on my own first projects and from observing others entering the field. It boils down to coverage. I often see new directors either undershoot drastically, leaving very little flexibility, or, on the flip side, overshoot to an extent where it feels like we're just collecting 'options' without a clear purpose, sometimes at the expense of time or energy.

I’m trying to proactively understand the pitfalls so I can better support the director and editor down the line. I've been making detailed notes on what's shot and what could have been shot, but it feels like there's a more fundamental understanding I'm missing from the director's perspective.

For those of you who have been directing for a while, casting your mind back to your early days, what was a common mistake you or other new directors made regarding acquiring coverage (either undershooting or wildly overshooting 'options') and how did you learn to find that sweet spot between enough and too much?