What is the shooting schedule template?
Shooting schedules must have several pieces of information to be as efficient as possible. These templates will have a section for every scene number listed in shooting order. It will include a short, one-sentence description of the scene along with the set heading often found on a scene header in a script for easy identification. It will include if that scene is an interior (INT.) or exterior (EXT.) scene as well as if it’s a day or night shoot. This helps add context to what the workday – or night – will look like and what kind of lighting to use for it.
Story
Something that helps with continuity is adding what day it is in the story. For example, say a story takes place in the span of seven days, each scene should then have the appropriate day it applies to within the story. This can help the wardrobe department figure out what costume to give the actors for that day. It can even help determine how an actor looks by that point in the story for hair and makeup purposes.
Page length
The page length is also noted with each scene because it is what initially determines how long a scene might take to shoot. Script pages are normally eight inches in length; therefore you can measure the script in eighths of a page. One page on average is one minute of screen time, without counting possible visual effects, stunt choreography, or emotionally heavy scenes. So within the shooting schedule template, you could jot down for a scene, “1 and 3/8”. Depending on the shoot, a five-page shoot day is pretty standard.
Cast
Another factor you need for your shooting schedule is to write in which cast members are in the day’s scenes. This helps schedule what days to bring in the characters and juggle around the scene order. Assistant directors avoid having actors waiting around, especially on indie sets where actors might not get cozy trailers to spend the hours in between scenes.
Therefore, the key is to cluster scenes for them to have a good workday and also to give them days off. They work with the actors’ schedules as well as taking into account emotionally draining scenes. This can help create a safe environment for them to emote. Often the actors’ names aren’t on the schedule. But rather their characters have identification numbers and those numbers are the ones on the schedule for a cleaner look.
Location
The last required part of the schedule is the addition of a location address or title. Obviously for a location listed as “[Main character’s] apartment,” a real-life equivalent is needed to shoot in. If the location is a studio lot, write the studio in along with the address, if it’s a location, the address. Always include the address! It helps with emergencies, everyone can reference it, and people can plan ahead.
All this information is in a streamlined template known as a stripboard. Each strip section contains the scene and the necessary information. All the strips are in shooting order and will have individual strips in different colors to show where the shoot day ends and the next begins.
Additional strips note company moves. This includes any time a location changes and the crew needs to meet at a new location on the same day. For a thorough schedule, make sure to note the time it will take to get from one location to the other. Also, it’s motivating to see meal breaks in the schedule and if possible an estimated wrap-time for the crew.
