What it is for
A call sheet tells everyone coming to set when to arrive, where to go and what is being shot, on one page. The first AD builds it from the schedule and breakdown; the production office fills in location, transport and catering.
Production templates · Forms
Call sheet
General call, first shot and wrap, scene order, cast calls and department notes on one sheet.
A call sheet is the daily plan sent out the day before a shoot. This template includes general crew call, first shot and estimated wrap, base, weather and nearest hospital, 12 scene rows, 8 cast-call rows and notes for 9 departments.
The Excel file includes Example and Guide sheets next to the blank form. How to fill it in
What's inside
What's inside
- Production
- Shooting day / total
- Date
- General crew call
- First shot
- Estimated wrap
- Base / meeting point
- Weather · sunrise / sunset
- Nearest hospital
- Emergency contact (production)
Scenes
- #
- Scene
- I/E
- D/N
- Set / location
- Description
- Pages (1/8)
- Cast
- Notes
Cast calls
- No.
- Character
- Cast
- Call
- HMU / wardrobe
- On set
- Scenes
- Pickup
- Notes
Department notes
- Department
- Notes
How to fill it in
When to use it
Make it the afternoon before, once the next day is locked, and send it out before evening. If weather or cast availability changes it, resend a revised version with a new version number.
Field by field
Shooting day / total
- What
- Which day of the schedule this is
- How
- Use the same day number as the shooting schedule. Number pickup and reserve days in sequence too.
- Example
- 12 / 40
Date
- What
- Shoot date and weekday
- How
- Include the weekday. For overnight shoots, use the start date.
- Example
- 2026-11-14 (Sat)
General crew call
- What
- When the whole crew must be at base
- How
- Work back from first shot, allowing setup time. If departments differ, add their calls in department notes.
- Example
- 07:00
First shot
- What
- Target time to roll on the first setup
- How
- Agree the first setup time with the DP and gaffer before writing it.
- Example
- 08:30
Estimated wrap
- What
- Expected time the last shot is done
- How
- Write a realistic time based on the page count, not a wish. Hours are counted from it.
- Example
- 20:00
Base / meeting point
- What
- Where people meet and how to get there
- How
- Add parking and access in one line next to the address. Send the map link with the message.
- Example
- Outside Cafe Ondo · public lot nearby
Weather · sunrise / sunset
- What
- Forecast and sun times
- How
- Always fill in when there are exterior scenes — the DP plans first shot and the last daylight scene from it.
- Example
- Clear 4–13℃ · 07:05 / 17:25
Nearest hospital
- What
- Closest hospital with an emergency room
- How
- Name, address and main number. Look it up again whenever the location changes; for night shoots check the ER is open overnight.
- Example
- ○○ Hospital ER · 02-000-0000
Emergency contact (production)
- What
- Who to call on set if something goes wrong
- How
- Title, name and number. Never list cast personal numbers.
- Example
- Production manager Hana Kim 010-0000-0000
#
- What
- Shooting order for the day
- How
- Fill from the top in the order you will shoot, not script order.
- Example
- 1
Scene
- What
- Script scene number
- How
- Use the script number as is. Split scenes as 7A / 7B.
- Example
- 7
I/E
- What
- Interior (I) or exterior (E)
- How
- Follow the scene heading. Note it if an interior shows the exterior through a window.
- Example
- I
D/N
- What
- Day (D) or night (N)
- How
- Story time, not shooting time. If you shoot night for day, note “blackout” in notes.
- Example
- D
Pages (1/8)
- What
- Page count in eighths
- How
- One page = 8; enter a number only. 1 3/8 pages = 11.
- Example
- 11
Cast
- What
- Who appears in the scene (or the actor, in cast calls)
- How
- In the scene table, use the cast-call numbers to keep it short. In cast calls, write the actor’s name.
- Example
- 1, 2, 3
Call
- What
- When the actor arrives (at makeup)
- How
- Set separately from crew call, working back from their first scene and makeup time.
- Example
- 07:00
HMU / wardrobe
- What
- When hair, makeup and wardrobe start
- How
- Sequence with the makeup team so chairs do not clash.
- Example
- 07:10
On set
- What
- When the actor is ready on set
- How
- A little before their first scene’s shot time.
- Example
- 08:20
Pickup
- What
- Pickup time and place
- How
- Write “self-drive” for actors who drive themselves so transport leaves them out.
- Example
- 06:30 ○○ Station exit 2
Tips
- Send it as a PDF and put the day and version in the file name (e.g. Day12_v2).
- On a revision, bold the changed cells or write “changed” in notes so the difference is obvious.
- List scenes per actor with commas; if an actor would wait for hours, split their call.
- Keep department notes to what is special about the day so the sheet stays short.
Common mistakes
- Giving actors the same time as crew call, so they wait for hours.
- Listing scenes in script order instead of shooting order.
- Copying the previous day’s file and leaving the old hospital or base address on a day the location changed.
- Sending a revision without a version number, so old and new sheets circulate on set.
Filled-in example
Filled in for the fictional drama “The Temperature Between Us”. All people, companies and numbers are made up; the Excel file has the same example on its Example sheet.
Call Sheet
| Production | The Temperature Between Us |
|---|---|
| Shooting day / total | 12 / 40 |
| Date | 2026-11-14 (Sat) |
| General crew call | 07:00 |
| First shot | 08:30 |
| Estimated wrap | 20:00 |
| Base / meeting point | Outside Cafe Ondo (34 ○○-ro, Seoul) · public lot nearby |
| Weather · sunrise / sunset | Clear 4–13℃ · 07:05 / 17:25 |
| Nearest hospital | ○○ Hospital ER · 02-000-0000 |
| Emergency contact (production) | Production manager Hana Kim 010-0000-0000 |
Scenes
| # | Scene | I/E | D/N | Set / location | Description | Pages (1/8) | Cast | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | I | D | Cafe Ondo – Interior | Minjun starts sitting in the same seat every day | 11 | 1, 2, 3 | Window seat locked |
| 2 | 2 | I | D | Cafe Ondo – Interior | Sua’s first day; boss Jaehoon nags | 6 | 1, 2 | |
| 3 | 14 | I | D | Cafe Ondo – Interior | Jaehoon hands Sua the new menu project | 9 | 1, 2, 4 | |
| 4 | 18 | I | N | Cafe Ondo – Interior | Sua notices Minjun’s empty seat | 4 | 1, 4 | Blackout · after closing |
| 5 | 3 | I | D | Cafe Ondo – Kitchen | Sua’s failed latte art montage | 3 | 1 | 3 time-lapse shots |
| 6 | ||||||||
| 7 | ||||||||
| 8 | ||||||||
| 9 | ||||||||
| 10 | ||||||||
| 11 | ||||||||
| 12 |
Cast calls
| No. | Character | Cast | Call | HMU / wardrobe | On set | Scenes | Pickup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sua | Hana Kim | 07:00 | 07:10 | 08:20 | 7, 2, 14, 18, 3 | Self-drive | |
| 2 | Jaehoon | Hangyeol Oh | 07:30 | 07:40 | 08:20 | 7, 2, 14 | 06:50 ○○ Station exit 2 | |
| 3 | Minjun | Doyun Park | 07:30 | 07:50 | 08:25 | 7 | Self-drive | |
| 4 | Jieun | Soeun Jung | 12:00 | 12:10 | 13:00 | 14, 18 | 11:20 ○○ Station exit 1 | Joins after lunch |
| 5 | ||||||||
| 6 | ||||||||
| 7 | ||||||||
| 8 |
Department notes
| Department | Notes |
|---|---|
| Directing | Rig blackout for sc. 18 during dinner break |
| Production | |
| Camera | Sc. 3 time-lapse — lock the same angle |
| Lighting & Grip | |
| Sound | |
| Art & Props | 6 latte cups (4 for failed takes), new menu mock-up |
| Costume | Two of Sua’s aprons (sc. 2 · 14 continuity) |
| Hair & Makeup | |
| Transport & Catering | Lunch 12:30, 24 packed meals · dinner 18:30 at a nearby restaurant |
FAQ
What must a call sheet include?
General and individual cast calls, scene order and locations, cast per scene, base and emergency contacts, and the nearest hospital. Department notes cut down questions on set.
How is this different from a PDNote call sheet?
The spreadsheet is filled in by hand each day. PDNote builds the call sheet from scene data and the schedule, then locks the published version for links and print.
More templates
- Script breakdown sheetOne row per scene — I/E, D/N, set, cast, props, wardrobe, SFX, vehicles — with page totals.
- Pre-shoot (crank-in) checklistScript, schedule, contracts, locations, gear, insurance and departments before day one.
- Timesheet & pay statementHours from call and wrap, days worked, overtime, adjustments and net pay.
Skip the forms. Start from the script.
Upload a script and scenes, sets, cast and props are organized for you. Breakdowns, schedules and call sheets all come from the same data, and every change reaches the whole team as the latest version.
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