For each day of the shoot, the call sheet outlines the work to be done. Everyone involved with production is informed of how, where, and when the day's workflow is to be carried out. A call sheet can't be underestimated for the importance it plays in the transition from pre-production to production. If something isn’t right on the call sheet, from the location of the shoot to last-minute changes to the weather forecast, it could derail a whole shooting day, causing the production to run behind schedule.
To get you on the right track, we've created a free cast and crew call sheet template that you can seamlessly distribute through Assemble. Our template breaks down everything you should include on your call sheet and is fully adaptable for any type of production from a feature film to a model photo shoot.
Click Use Template to get started now, or follow along with this article as we walk you through all the relevant information found on the call sheet.
The call sheet is a daily planning document. It follows the same format, but the information changes. Therefore having a customizable call sheet template in place is a must-have to keep up with the busy pace of a film shoot or a video production.
Some benefits to utilizing Assemble’s template include:
Assemble enables you to easily distribute your call sheet to your entire cast and crew with one click, saving hours of preparation time typically spent by your 1st AD (assistant director). Once the director's shot list and the shooting schedules have been finalized, you can use our call sheet template to quickly create and distribute a call sheet to your production.
Call sheets are essential for ensuring cast and crew arrive at the right place at the right time. Since the call sheet is a direct line of communication to every department, it's incredibly important that all departments know what is expected of them on a daily basis, including call times, script information, crew members, actors, background actors, transportation, and production staff.
This template can be accessed instantly on any device, with no sign-up or registration required. Your team will be sent a clickable link, which will instantly open the document on mobile phones, tablets or desktop computers.
Changes are inevitable. This template adapts in real-time, allowing cast and crew to see weather changes, location changes, production status, and what shots have been completed instantly.
When the production schedule is set and the shot list for the next shooting day has been created, call sheet templates should be used to communicate this information to the entire production. Each night, the cast and crew should receive this production document containing information for the next day's shoot. If you're interested in creating a shot list, check out our shot list template as well.
There is a lot of information to keep track of during a production day, as our professional call sheet template will quickly demonstrate. To ensure the day runs smoothly, let's look at the elements included in our free call sheet template.
For more information on how to use each section, check out our article on how to make a call sheet for film.
In addition, Assemble provides you with advanced tools to help you create, collaborate and share your call sheet:
No two projects are exactly alike and it's unlikely that a feature film and a model photo shoot, for instance, would require identical call sheets. In most cases, the difference is in the details needed for each type of production.
We’ve compiled a list of call sheet examples and identified sections to include in a call sheet based on the type of production.
A call sheet for film is designed to be adaptable to the scope of production. Small cast and crew or multi-million dollar production? Not a problem. All the relevant information is set up for your film call sheet in advance to delete or customize as needed.
Important to note, sometimes it’s just about semantics. For best results, run a film production call sheet template by the producing team to make sure it follows the same format as their previous call sheets.
A call sheet template for a photoshoot has the same goal as a film production call sheet, sharing the relevant details of the day. However a photographer working with one model won't need the coordination that would go into a call sheet for a film involving many scenes, actors, and crew. You should keep in mind that a photoshoot schedule template might have an emphasis on the client (such as featuring their brand logo prominently on the call sheet for photoshoot).
With a model call sheet template it’s important to indicate if the shoot provides wardrobe, hair and makeup personnel. There are times when a model will need to show up "camera-ready". If a model is told to come camera-ready for an assignment, it means that they are responsible for doing their own hair, makeup, and/or wardrobe, which should be clearly stated on the call sheet.
Regardless of whether you're filming in a single location with a small crew, they need to know what's happening and a music video call sheet template makes the process easier. All the details you would include in a film production typically apply to a music video.
Sometimes productions are very straightforward and don't require a complex Hollywood call sheet. In this case, you can easily create a simple call sheet template by removing any unnecessary sections and just stripping it down to the basics. A simple list of people, times, location and shots to be completed may be all you need to convey the necessary information.
The following are a few of the most commonly found sections on call sheets related to cast and crew.
The crew call sheet is typically part of the production call sheet. A general crew call time will be at the top of the sheet, but crew positions such as security, drivers and craft services may have earlier call times, and this would be noted on the call sheet. Speciality crew, such as horse wranglers needed for one specific scene, might have a staggered call time and wrap time.
The call sheet for actors is also part of the production call sheet. It is important to discuss with the producers any accommodations that have been made for talent. An A-list actor might have a driver assigned for pick up and drop off at the hotel and the pick up time should be listed on the actor call sheet in addition to call times for makeup, wardrobe, set and first shot.
If you're looking for a casting call sheet to arrange your next casting session, check out our film templates page to find the casting breakdown template.
Get started today with our fully customizable call sheet template. Follow these steps to open, customize and distribute the call sheet to your cast and crew.
Open this template by clicking Use Template. The template will be created within a new blank project in Assemble.
Click anywhere within the text to begin adding to or editing the template.
Click Share and select Share Document to easily distribute the document to your entire team with one click. You can even track who has viewed the document.
Once you've updated it based on your needs, click the menu in the top right and select Save as Template to save it into your your personal template library.
Assemble enables producers to create a centralized hub to manage their entire project from start to finish - including documents, calendars, task management and asset management.
By using this call sheet template, you'll get access to all of Assemble's powerful features so that you can not only utilize this document, but keep production moving quickly and efficiently with our advanced collaboration tools built for producers.
Get started today for free by clicking Use Template to begin exploring all of Assemble's powerful features.