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The non-negotiables
Date and general crew call. Location with a full address and parking notes, because "the warehouse on 5th" is how you lose a gaffer for an hour. Per-person call times, since not everyone starts together. Key contacts with phone numbers: producer, first AD or whoever runs the day, and the client contact if they will be on set. Weather and sunrise or sunset, which drive everything outdoors. The nearest hospital, which everyone hopes is decoration and professionals never omit.
The schedule block
A shoot day in rows: call, breakfast, first setup, company moves, lunch (union or not, feed people on time), wrap. Beside it, the shot or scene plan in the order you intend to shoot, not script order. Crews relax when they can see the plan; anxiety on set is usually just missing information.
The crew and talent grid
Every person on the day: name, role, call time, and contact. Include department notes where they earn their space: walkie channels, wardrobe notes for talent, which truck the grip package lives in. If minors or animals are on set, their handlers and legal constraints go here too.
Who sends it, and when
The call sheet goes out the evening before, ideally by dinner, from whoever is running the day. Sending it at midnight tells the crew how the day will feel. Ask for confirmations: a sheet nobody confirmed is only a rumor. Chasing "got it, see you at 7" texts is exactly the kind of work software should do for you, which is why Cutvey sends call sheets that crew confirm with one tap.
The mistakes that strand crews
Address without a suite number or gate code. A forecast nobody checked since Tuesday. Yesterday's version circulating after the location changed, which is why versioned sheets and a single source of truth matter. And the classic: the sheet that lives in a thread with 14 replies, where the update is in reply nine. One link, always current, beats every attachment.
Start from a template
You do not need to design one from scratch. Grab our free call sheet template, or let Cutvey build the sheet from your project's crew, schedule, and location data and email it for you, with live weather and confirmations tracked automatically.
A complete example
Here is what a filled-in sheet carries for a one-day shoot. You can make this one in the free call sheet maker.
| Section | Example |
|---|---|
| Production | Coastal Realty brand film, Day 1 of 1 |
| General call | 6:30 AM |
| Location | Harbor Point Marina, 200 Marina Way, Lot B, load in at Gate 2 |
| Weather | Mostly sunny, high of 72. Sunrise 6:48 AM, sunset 6:31 PM |
| Nearest hospital | Name, street address and phone |
| Schedule | 7:30 exteriors, 10:00 interview, 12:30 lunch, 4:00 wrap |
| Crew | DP 6:30, gaffer 6:30, sound 7:00, talent 8:30 |
| Notes | Client on set from 10 AM. Closed-toe shoes on the dock |
Who sends it, and when
| Size of shoot | Who makes it | Sent |
|---|---|---|
| One person, a client and a subject | You | The night before |
| Small commercial | Producer | 24 to 48 hours ahead |
| Larger set | Assistant director or coordinator | The evening before, after the day's wrap |
Check three things before it goes: is the address the one you want people typing into their phone, has the forecast changed, and is every new person on it? Then ask for a reply. A sheet nobody confirmed is a sheet you have to hope about.
Mistakes that strand a crew
- A venue name with no address, when the venue has two buildings.
- One call time for everyone, so half the crew stands around for two hours.
- No parking note in a city.
- An old sheet still at the top of someone's inbox. Put the version and the time at the top of each new one.
- A hospital name with no address, written by someone who did not look it up.
- Changing the sheet and not telling anyone what changed.
Making one
For one day, use the free call sheet maker or the Excel template. For regular shoots, call sheet software fills it from your bookings and shows who confirmed. On a scripted shoot, the schedule behind the sheet comes from the stripboard: see day out of days, explained.