Paperwork on a film sorts into two piles. One pile keeps the shoot organized: breakdowns, schedules, call sheets, reports. If those are sloppy, you have a bad day. The other pile protects the film: rights, releases, licenses, insurance. If those are missing, you may have a finished film nobody can screen. Students tend to get the first pile right and skip the second, so this guide covers both, in the order you'll need them.
Before pre-production: rights
| Document | What it does | Who signs | Template or reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writer agreement or assignment | Gives the production the right to make the script | Writer and producer | Your school may have its own form |
| Option or life rights agreement | Needed if the story is based on a book, article, or real person's story | Rights holder and producer | Option agreement |
| Chain of title file | Collects every rights document in one place | Producer keeps it | Chain of title |
| School rights policy | States who owns student work | Read and file it | Your program handbook |
If you wrote the script yourself for your own film, the writer agreement feels silly. Do it anyway, especially with a co-writer. A one-page assignment signed before the shoot settles ownership questions that otherwise come up when a festival or distributor asks. Also read your school's policy, because some programs keep rights in student films, and FilmLA's student criteria include that the project isn't used commercially or that the school retains the rights.
Pre-production: people
| Document | What it does | Who signs | Template |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew deal memo or volunteer agreement | Role, dates, pay or no pay, meals, credit, kit rental | Crew member and producer | Crew deal memo |
| Cast deal memo | Role, dates, pay, credit, footage access | Actor (or agent) and producer | Cast deal memo |
| Talent release | Permission to use the actor's image, voice, and performance | Actor, or guardian for a minor | Talent release form |
| Minor work permit and guardian consent | Legal permission for a minor to work | Varies by state; guardian and producer | Minor work permit |
| Union paperwork | Required if you hire union members under an agreement | Producer and union | Check the union's current student or low-budget terms |
| Crew contact list | Everyone's phone, email, role, emergency contact | Producer compiles | Crew contact list |
A talent release and a deal memo do different jobs. The deal memo covers the working terms. The release grants the right to use the performance in the film and its promotion. Students often collect one and forget the other. On small shoots they can be combined into one signed document if a lawyer or your school's form covers both.
Pre-production: places
| Document | What it does | Who signs | Template |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location agreement or release | Permission to film at a property, with dates, hours, areas, fees, and restoration terms | Property owner or authorized manager, and producer | Location release form |
| Film permit | Government permission to film where required | Issued by the film office | Film permit |
| Certificate of insurance | Proof of liability coverage, often naming the location as additional insured | Issued by the insurer | Certificate of insurance |
| Parking permit | Permission for production vehicles | Issued by city or property | Parking permit |
| Neighbor notification | Notice to residents and businesses | Distributed per film office rules | Varies |
Permit rules are local, so call the film office for each city you shoot in. In Los Angeles and the other areas FilmLA serves, students need permits for on-location filming, qualify for reduced fees with a certification letter from their school, and must show proof of insurance, which most area film schools already have on file. The thesis film checklist lists FilmLA's student criteria in full.
The location agreement has to be signed by someone with the authority to grant access. A laundromat's night manager usually isn't that person. Get the owner, and get the areas you'll use written down, including where the crew parks and where people can use the restroom.
Pre-production: planning documents
These don't need signatures. They're the working documents everyone else builds from.
| Document | What it's for | Built from | Template |
|---|---|---|---|
| Script breakdown sheets | Every element each scene needs | The locked script | Script breakdown sheet |
| Budget | What the film costs and where the money comes from | Breakdown and schedule | Short film budget |
| Stripboard and shooting schedule | Scene order by shoot day | Breakdown | Shooting schedule |
| Day out of days | Which days each actor works | Schedule | Day out of days |
| Shot list | Setups per scene | Director and DP | Shot list |
| Prop list and wardrobe breakdown | Department shopping and prep lists | Breakdown | Prop list |
| Equipment list | Gear, sources, pickup and return | Shot list and tech scout | Equipment checklist |
During the shoot
| Document | Who fills it out | When | Template |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call sheet | 1st AD or producer | Sent the day before each shoot day | Call sheet |
| Sign-in sheet | 2nd AD or set PA | Arrival and wrap, cast and background | Sign-in sheet |
| Camera report | 2nd AC or camera assistant | Every card or roll | Camera report |
| Sound report | Sound mixer | Every take recorded | Sound report |
| Script supervisor notes and continuity log | Script supervisor | Every take | Continuity log |
| Daily production report | 2nd AD or producer | End of each day | Daily production report |
| Petty cash log and receipts | Whoever spends money | As spent | Petty cash log |
| Additional releases | Producer | Anyone unplanned who ends up on camera | Talent release |
| Incident report | Producer or set medic | Any injury or damage | Your school's form |
A worked example of why the daily production report matters on a student shoot: Day 2 of a three-day short, the parking lot scene runs long, and scene 6 (1 6/8 pages) doesn't get finished. The report for Day 2 records scenes completed (3), scenes partly shot (6, with setups remaining), wrap time, and why. On Sunday, the 1st AD reads it to decide whether to add scene 6's remaining setups to the dorm day or plan a pickup. Without that report, the decision gets made from memory at 7 a.m.
After the shoot: post and delivery
| Document | What it does | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Music licenses | Rights to use songs you didn't write (sync and master) | Producer or music supervisor |
| Composer agreement | Terms for original score, including ownership | Composer and producer |
| Clearance log | Every third-party item on screen or in the soundtrack, with status | Producer |
| Credits list | Names and roles exactly as agreed in deal memos | Producer, checked against memos |
| Wrap report | Final numbers and what's owed | Producer; wrap report template |
| Festival and screening paperwork | Submission forms, screening copies, rights confirmations | Producer |
| E&O insurance application | Required by many distributors | Producer; see errors and omissions insurance |
Music is the most common problem with student films leaving school. A song you had permission to use in a class screening may not be licensed for festivals or online release. Get licenses that cover where the film will actually go, or use original music. The clearance entry covers what goes on a clearance log.
How to file it
Pick one folder structure on day one and share it with everyone who handles paperwork:
QUIET HOURS/
01 Rights/
02 Crew/ deal memos, contact list
03 Cast/ deal memos, releases, minor permits
04 Locations/ agreements, permits, COIs, photos
05 Planning/ breakdown, schedule, budget, shot list
06 Daily/ call sheets, production reports, sign-ins
07 Post/ licenses, clearance log, credits
Scan signed paper the same day and name files so they sort: "03 Cast - Release - Maya Torres - signed 2026-10-09.pdf". Keep originals in a binder with the same sections. When a festival asks for the location release for the laundromat two years from now, you'll find it in a minute.
In Storiara, the planning documents (breakdown, stripboard, day out of days, budget, call sheets) live in one project built from the uploaded script, and a revised script can be uploaded as a new version with its content re-pulled, as long as nothing is on the stripboard yet. The signed releases and agreements still belong in your own folder. For the order to tackle all of this, see the thesis film pre-production checklist.