How to Make a Production Schedule!
Whether you are writing, filming, or editing, organization is a necessity for film production. Filmmakers have enough to deal with creatively, but the logistical side of filmmaking can cripple a project faster than the time it takes to call “action!” Download your production schedule template below! Now, let’s learn how to make a proper production schedule!
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WHAT IS A PRODUCTION SCHEDULE?
A production schedule, also known as a shooting schedule, is a shot list 2.0. Not only does it contain all of the information that a shot list would contain, but it also organizes the shots into the most logical sequence according to time of day, set location/condition, camera support equipment, and the schedules of cast and crew. It is designed to save time, save money, and to increase the overall efficiency of the project.
Unlike the shot list, which is made by the director and the director of photography (DP), the production schedule is made in collaboration with the DP and the assistant director (AD). The AD will sometimes help with the original shot list, but his role is more focused on producing the production schedule rather than having a creative voice for the film.
LIST TO SCHEDULE
I am going to be using my very own shot list I created for my film The Long Walk to aid in this demonstration. I was the DP on the project, and was not only in charge of the shot list but I also created the production schedule. I used my shot list template and modified it to create a production schedule template. Now let’s make a production schedule together!
The first step is to analyze the schedule to see who in the cast and crew is available when and who is needed for each shot. Limitations in the key cast and crew heavily influences the date and time the shoot is scheduled. This can sometimes be a really big problem, but for the sake of this example all cast and crew is free all day.
The second step is to create our start time and end time. Most production shoots vary from 10 to 12 hours of production in a day. Depending on if the shots are meant to be taken during the day, at night, or a hybrid of both affects the start and end time. According to our shot list, we have 3 day scenes and 2 night scenes, not including the establishing shots. Since the night scenes are considerably longer than both of our day scenes, the production day is going to start at 1 PM and end at 1 AM. If we end early that is great, but it is important not to go over the time limit. In the real world of budgets and paychecks, that would be the moment the production starts to lose money from overtime pay. Since we have set a rough start and end time to the day, we are able to reorganize our shot list with day scenes first and the night scenes after.
The third step is to analyze the amount of shots and locations. Since we only have 12 hours to film, there are only so many shots we will be able to fit in the day. After accounting for a lunch break, there is only 11 hours of production time. The biggest time wasters on set are location moves and lighting changes. If we can minimize and the amount of moves and the time it takes to complete them, then we can complete more shots during our production day and stay on schedule. In our shot list we have 5 locations: various, outside barn, inside barn, campfire, and open field. The good news is that outside barn, inside barn, and campfire are very close to each other. The open field is farther away and will need some time written into the schedule for setting up. The campfire will also need to be built so time must be allotted for that as well.
We also want to acknowledge the amount of shots that are needed for each scene and any special equipment that may be needed. For our current production schedule, scene A has a unconfirmed amount of shots since they are establishing, B has 3, C has 2, D has 4, E has 9, and F has 1. This is a total of 21 shots - a very doable day especially if all of the day exteriors will be using the sunlight and bounce cards only.
The fourth step is to organize and order the shot list into a production schedule. The final order will be the order the production is filmed in. There are many reasons to change the order of your shot list, but the main ones are to group similar setups, similar framing, and similar filming gear. When we look at our shot list, repositioning played a big role during scene E. The shot list was written according to the edit and therefore it can be re-organized to have the least amount of turnarounds on set. A turnaround is when the lighting set up and camera is flipped to film the opposite side of the scene. After reorganization, the E scene shot numbers read 2, 3, 5, 8, 4, 6, 9, 7, 1 instead of the original 1-9.
After you have finished reorganizing your shots, it is time for the fifth and final step: assign a time and duration to every shot. Some people like to work backwards by starting with the last shot and ending with the first. For this example, I am going to start with the first shot of the day.
We will be using the “time” and “duration” columns to organize our production schedule. Time refers to the start time of the shot and duration refers to the amount of time allotted to take the shot. Keep in mind that it is not only the time is takes to set up the camera, but the blocking, lighting, and prop management. Also keep in mind the time it takes to reset every take within a shot. Some may be quite simple, but others may involve refilling drink glasses, blood packets, or clothing changes.
Here is a look at our final production schedule with a proper order of shots with a time and duration included with each shot. With this schedule, you will be able to plan ahead, have a better idea what is possible in a single production day, and know when you are either ahead or behind schedule. Thank you for reading and supporting The Filmmakers Blog. Don’t forget to go to the top of the page to download your own shot list and production schedule template!