Guide
Creating a film and photo shoot call sheet as a PDF
A call sheet tells everyone on a shoot where to be, when, and what will happen that day. Professional productions send one every evening before a shoot day; small crews, student films and photo shoots benefit just as much. This tool lays out all the usual sections and produces a clean PDF.
The header
Enter the production title, company, date and shoot day number, such as day 3 of 5. Crew call is when the crew arrives; shooting call is when the camera should roll; estimated wrap tells people when they can plan to leave. These four times are what most people look for first.
Location and access
Give the full address, then parking and access details: where vans unload, which entrance to use, gate codes and contact on arrival. Clear access notes save the first hour of a shoot day.
Safety information
Every call sheet should list the nearest hospital with name, address and phone, plus the local emergency number. It is easy to skip and important when it matters. Add any specific risks, such as working near water or at height, in the schedule notes.
Weather and sun
Type the weather forecast for the day. Sun times are calculated for the location from its latitude, longitude and time zone, using the same solar equations as the Sun Angle Calculator. Sunrise, sunset and golden hour help plan exterior scenes and give the camera department a reference.
Filling in the sun times
Enter the location’s latitude and longitude, which any map app shows when you long-press or right-click a spot, and its time zone in hours from UTC, including daylight saving time. Then press “Fill in sunrise, sunset and golden hour”, and the line is written into the sheet. Check the time zone carefully when shooting away from home; a wrong offset shifts every time by hours.
The schedule
The schedule table lists each block with its time, scene or shot number, description, cast involved and location. Keep it in the order you plan to shoot, including meal breaks and company moves between locations.
Cast and crew
The cast table lists each actor with character name, pickup time, hair and makeup time and on-set time. The crew table lists department, role, name, phone and individual call times, since departments such as grip and electric often arrive before others.
Saved for the next day
Everything you type is kept in this browser. When you open the page for the next shoot day, the previous sheet is there to adjust, so only changed details need editing. Empty rows are left out of the PDF automatically.
Privacy
Phone numbers and addresses stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded; only the PDF you choose to send contains the information.
Sharing the PDF
Send the PDF by email or a messaging group the evening before, and print a few copies for the set. Ask department heads to confirm receipt.
Small shoots need one too
Even a two-person photo shoot benefits from a short call sheet: meeting point, time, the shot list, a contact number and the weather. It prevents the classic problems of people waiting at the wrong entrance or arriving after the best light.
Related tools
Plan shots in advance with the Storyboard Generator. For the time zone of a distant location, use the Time Zone Converter. For star or night shoots, see the Star Trail Calculator.
Checked against the current version of the Call Sheet Generator on .