On this page
Three ways to make one
| Option | Best for | Where |
|---|---|---|
| The text sheet above | A small crew, sent by email or text message | Edit, copy, paste |
| The Excel file | A sheet you reuse and print | Download the .xlsx |
| The free call sheet maker | A clean printed page or PDF in two minutes | Call sheet maker |
How to fill it in
- Replace each [BRACKET] with your production, date, location and general call.
- Look up the nearest emergency room and write its full address and phone.
- Check the forecast and the sunrise and sunset for the date.
- Put each person's own call time beside their name.
- Copy it into an email or text, or print it, and send it the night before.
What belongs on a call sheet
| Section | What to put | The mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| General call | When the day starts | Listing only that, with no individual calls |
| Location | Name, address, parking, load-in | A venue name with no address |
| Hospital | The nearest emergency room, with its address | Leaving it off because the shoot is "easy" |
| Weather and light | Forecast, sunrise, sunset | Last week's forecast. Check it the night before |
| Schedule | Setups in order, with times and lunch | Forgetting lunch |
| Crew and talent | Role, name, phone, their own call | Leaving the new person off |
| Notes | Client on set, wardrobe, permits, drone rules | Burying the one thing that changed |
The sunrise and sunset come from the golden hour calculator, which works them out for any place and date in your browser. The full guide is what is a call sheet.
When to send it
The night before is standard, and 48 hours ahead is kind. If something changes after you send, send it again, say what changed at the top of the email, and call anyone with an early call. An email at 10 PM does not reach a grip who went to bed at 9.
How Cutvey does this
In Cutvey the call sheet fills from the crew you booked and the day's schedule. The forecast, sunrise, sunset and the nearest hospital come in on their own, each person confirms with one tap, and a late change goes only to the people whose sheet changed. Crew are free and need no account. Call sheet software has the detail.
Frequently asked
Should talent get the same call sheet as crew?
Usually yes, with their own call time. Leave crew phone numbers off a sheet that goes to people outside the production if they would rather not share them.
What phone numbers are in the sample?
Made-up ones. The (555) 010 range is set aside for fiction, so nobody gets a call meant for your gaffer.
Goes with this stage of a job: Plan the shoot. More free paperwork on the templates page, and free tools that work in your browser.