Eighty percent of success is showing up - Woody Allen
breakdown sheet
The easiest way to make a schedule is to get a separate piece of paper for each scene and write on it:
- A short description of what happens in it
- Who is in it
- And where it takes place
List anything you think is important on the breakdown sheet.
If you have more than one location you could consider using different coloured paper, or a coloured sticker or marker pen to ID each location. Once you have all your scenes onto breakdown sheets you should pin them up on a wall or board already marked up with columns to represent the days you are filming. This is the basis of a Shooting Schedule.
A shooting schedule might look like this
shooting schedule
- Its all a bit of a juggling act, which is why we start off on bits of paper which can be shuffled about.
- Having them up on a big board or wall allows everyone to see the plan and make suggestions based on any info they might have.
- Group your sheets by location or set so that you don't waste time moving back and forth. Sometimes this won't be possible, eg if you only have a short time in that place each day, or if your actors cannot be available at the same time your location is free.
- Once you have found a schedule that works - tape it down! Then make a small version that fits on A4 which can be dished out to all involved - this is your completed Shooting Schedule.
It's basically a list of what's on the wall with less detail. Get students to note down from the big schedule what they are personally responsible for, whether it's props they have to bring in, what costumes they should be wearing etc etc. If they are using their own clothes for costumes, try if possible to get them to change and leave their costume at the filming base, then you can be certain you always have the right costume to hand. Otherwise you may find someone starts a scene in a red T-shirt one day and finishes it in a blue jumper two days later - not good for continuity.
call sheet
Once you have a schedule and know what is planned for each day you can start to create call sheets. Call Sheets list call times that tell the cast and crew where, when and what is needed on a single day. Call Sheets are ALWAYS handed out the day before they are needed - it's the production assistant's or co-ordinator's job (along with the 1st assistant director) to make sure the Call Sheet is up to date and issued on time.
A call sheet might look like this:
Produce a full Unit List - which is essentially everyone's phone number - it can save a lot of time-wasting
On a small shoot, the call sheet might be something copied from the blackboard. But if you're attempting anything of size its amazing how useful a call sheet becomes, everyone knows what's happening without having to ask any questions. Get your production department to do it, but check it before mass photocopying.