Shooting schedule template.
A shooting schedule is the plan for what you shoot, in what order, on which day — and the document every other department works backwards from. This is the template Mosaic builds into its free Production Toolkit, plus how to fill it in for a short or a first feature.
What a shooting day looks like
Each day is a header plus a stack of timed blocks. The header holds the facts the whole unit needs; the blocks hold the work.
- Day number & date
- So the schedule and the call sheets agree.
- General crew call
- The one time everyone measures the day against.
- Meal time
- Six hours in, before the meal penalty starts.
- Sunrise / sunset
- The real limit on exteriors.
- Weather
- High, low, and a note if it changes the plan.
- Nearest hospital
- Name, address, phone, distance. Every day.
- Time
- 7:00a — when the block actually starts.
- Type
- Crew call, setup, shoot, company move, meal, wrap.
- Sc.
- Scene number, straight off the script breakdown.
- Description
- What you're shooting, in one plain line.
- Cast
- Who is needed in the block — drives cast call times.
- Set dressing
- What has to be on set before the block starts.
- Props
- Hand props tied to that scene.
- Wardrobe
- Which look each character is in.
- Notes
- Stunts, minors, permits, anything with a caveat.
How to build it
- 01Break the script down
List every scene with its location, day or night, cast, and any special requirement. That list is the raw material for the schedule.
- 02Group by location, not by script order
You shoot everything at one location before you move. Company moves are the most expensive thing on an indie day.
- 03Build days around daylight and cast
Exteriors go where the light is. Day-players get grouped so you're not paying or asking for more days than you need.
- 04Time the blocks honestly
Setup, rehearse, shoot, turn around. If a block looks like an hour, it's usually ninety minutes on a small crew.
- 05Push it into call sheets
Once the days are right, each one becomes a call sheet: crew call, cast times, meal, location, hospital.
Use it live instead of in a spreadsheet
The Production Toolkit keeps this template attached to a real project. Add shoot days, fill the blocks in an editable grid, and export the whole schedule as a printable PDF. The same days feed the call sheet module, so crew call and cast times stay in one place — alongside the budget, crew list, locations, and shot list.
- Day-by-day schedule with typed blocks
- PDF export for the whole unit
- Feeds call sheets automatically
- Free with a Mosaic account