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Film Production Call Sheet Template
What is a film production call sheet?
If you’re working on any kind of filming-based production that requires precise scheduling and direction (music videos, short films, etc), then a film production call sheet is the perfect tool for your team. A call sheet acts as the master plan for the shooting day, detailing everyone’s job and the amount of time each day’s task is expected to take.
Below, we’ll explain all the most essential steps you’ll need to know to fill out a well-formatted production call sheet template. We’ll use StudioBinder’s call sheet software to detail these steps, so follow along with us if you’d like!
1. Write header details
Date and call time is the most need-to-know information on any film production call sheet template, so start with simply getting that established first. You’ll be automatically prompted to fill out this information on any new call sheet template project in StudioBinder.
Now it’s just about getting the rest of the most important information written in your header. This should include the film studio, executive producer names, and of course, the title of the project being filmed. Including the day of production and weather forecast will be useful for your cast and crew.
It’s helpful to also include a shortened version of the schedule that touches on all the main time frames of the day, like crew call, lunch break, and estimated wrap time.
For example, “this is a non-smoking set.”
2. Display locations
Your film production call sheet template will of course need to have all the set film locations for the day displayed. In addition, this section should also provide crew parking instructions, even if the parking is on site and seems generally obvious to everyone on your crew and cast list.
Most production call sheet templates also include the nearest hospital information. As you can see with our film call sheet example, both of our day’s locations note the exact drive time from the set to the hospital so there’s no confusion if an emergency occurs.
3. Break down the schedule
Most call sheets place the day’s detailed schedule between the location and crew listings, so let’s establish that information next.
Click +Scene to create a column that provides info for a scene shoot, and click +Banner for a less detailed column highlighting something more straightforward like a meal break or equipment breakdown.
Once these columns are all entered into your film production call sheet template, the final column space will automatically add up all the day’s time and display it.
4. Add cast, crew & extras
Next, let’s showcase the cast members, crew and extras schedules in that order. With our call sheet production schedule template, we enabled most of the available display columns for our cast grid since their schedules require the most detail.
Then we moved onto our film crew listing, which is much more extensive, but requires a lot less display column detail. Here, you can keep it pretty clear cut with just 3 or 4 columns showcasing names, roles, and individual call times and wrap timeframes.
The extras grid on a film production call sheet template tends to be a bit more detailed than the crew grid, but still not as detailed as the cast. When individual time schedules inevitably change, just click on the set time and easily readjust.
5. Add department notes
Much of filling out a film production call sheet template is relaying information that was passed on to you from various departments. Which is why including a ‘department notes’ section on your call sheet will be hugely helpful.
With our free film production call sheet template example, we received emails from our stunts, VFX, grip and a handful of other departments. So, we created a grid and condensed their information into a handful of notes that everyone can see. Movie call sheets especially tend to get flooded with department notes, so condense wisely!
6. Attach private messages
With your film production call sheet template all filled out, you’re ready to send it off to everyone in your production team. But before you do, you may have specific notes or private messages you’d like to send with some individual copies.
Once you get to the ‘adjust recipient details’ page, just select one or several names on the cast and crew list that you want to attach a message with. Then enter your message into the private note field attached with their name.
These notes can range anywhere from relaying highly important information, to a simple thank you for all the hard work someone’s been doing. Or maybe you even just want to provide some people with additional important contact information.
Example of a free film production call sheet template
7. Send and track call sheet
Your call sheet template for film production is all ready to go now, just look it over one last time and click Send Call Sheet to do the honor of sending it out to everyone!
From there, you can keep track of everyone who was emailed a copy of your call sheet. If anyone’s status says ‘bounced,’ then that means the email either doesn’t exist or was entered incorrectly.
That’s a wrap!
And that’s how you fill out a film production call sheet template! Just remember, whether you’re using a production call sheet template word document, or even a production call sheet excel template, these steps are broad enough to apply to any online template that fits your needs.
For more details on more types of simple call sheet templates, be sure to check out all of StudioBinder’s free call sheet templates.
Frequently asked questions
To create a call sheet on Microsoft Word, you can format your call sheet’s grid and column setup manually, or you can find a pre-made template online. Once your template is established, start by entering the time, date, studio, executive producer, and any other relevant information in the header.
Now you're ready to list the location, schedule, and cast/crew info on your production call sheet template word document. Beyond this, we also recommend adding a ‘department notes’ section to your call sheet for any important information that comes down the pipeline.
No, not every film production needs a call sheet, but most will require one. If it’s a film production that consists of more than a few people, it’s a safe bet to say they’re probably using a call sheet. Even if it’s not an official call sheet document, virtually every film production that consists of a team will need to use a calendar or some other document for scheduling.
A film production call sheet is a document that details a particular shooting day’s schedule. These are usually put together by the assistant director the evening before the day’s shoot. The document will typically list out the location, the expected call time for each individual cast/crew member, and the details on the day’s schedule.
You should use a production call sheet for any kind of camera shooting operation that needs to be scheduled. Even if you don’t think you need a call sheet for your filming production, you’ll probably use a calendar for planning, and a call sheet is essentially an even better version of a calendar for a production. The call sheet is useful because it keeps everyone on the same page and details when, where and what job each individual needs to be doing at a particular time.
Key steps
