Start from your program's calendar
Every film program has its own gates: a pitch approval, a script sign-off, a safety review, an equipment reservation window, maybe a budget review. Put those dates on a calendar before anything else, then work backward from your first shoot day. The checklist below assumes a thesis short of 12 to 18 pages, shot over four or five days, with a first shoot day about 12 weeks after approval. Squeeze or stretch it to fit, but don't cut the steps.
The running example is Ferry Season, a fictional 15-page thesis with four speaking roles, two practical locations, one night exterior, and a ferry dock.
12 weeks out: approvals and script
| Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty or committee approval of the project | Director / producer | Signed approval or email in the project folder |
| Script locked for breakdown | Writer / director | Scene numbers added, file named with date |
| Producer and director agree on scope | Both | One-page note: shoot days, max budget, crew size |
| Program deadlines on a shared calendar | Producer | Safety review, gear checkout, rough cut, screening |
| Rights check | Producer | Written permission if the script adapts anyone else's story; any music written into the script flagged |
The writer can keep improving the script after this lock. Rewrites from here come as revision pages with the same scene numbers, so your breakdown and schedule stay valid. Script revision colors shows how that works.
10 weeks out: breakdown, budget, schedule draft
| Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Script breakdown, every scene | Producer or 1st AD | A sheet per scene using the script breakdown sheet template |
| Page count in eighths | 1st AD | Total pages, pages per location |
| Draft shooting schedule | 1st AD | Scenes grouped by location and day on a stripboard |
| Draft budget | Producer | Every department line, contingency, and a funding plan |
| Funding plan | Producer | School grant applications, crowdfunding dates, personal contribution |
For Ferry Season, 15 pages over four days is 3 6/8 pages a day on average. The night exterior at the dock is 2 4/8 pages with the lead in the water, so the 1st AD gives it a whole night, and the other three days carry 12 4/8 pages between them, about 4 1/8 each. That's a heavy load for a student crew, and it's the kind of math that should reach the director this week, while there's still time to cut pages or add a day. The shoot days estimator helps with a first guess, and short film budget breakdown covers the money side.
8 weeks out: crew and casting
| Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Department heads confirmed | Producer | DP, production designer, sound mixer, 1st AD, editor, gaffer, costume |
| Crew agreements | Producer | Deal memos or volunteer agreements signed, including credit and meals |
| Casting breakdown posted | Director / producer | Character descriptions, shoot dates, pay or deferred terms |
| Union status decided | Producer | If casting SAG-AFTRA members, read the union's current student film terms and start the paperwork early |
| Crew contact list | Producer | Names, roles, phones, emails, dietary needs, emergency contacts |
Crew paperwork matters even when nobody is paid. A volunteer agreement that states credit, meals, mileage, and footage access heads off arguments about who owns the reel. See crew deal memos and the crew contact list template.
6 weeks out: locations
| Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Location scouts complete | Director, DP, producer | Photos, power, parking, restrooms, noise notes for each |
| Backup location for each set | Producer | At least one named alternative |
| Location agreements | Producer | Signed by someone with authority to grant access, with dates, times, and fees |
| Permit requirements confirmed | Producer | Call the film office for each jurisdiction |
| Neighbor or building notices planned | Producer | Per the film office or building rules |
5 weeks out: permits and insurance
Permit rules vary by city, so start with the film office. FilmLA's answers for student filmmakers are a good example of how one office handles it. It says students need permits for on-location filming, that most accredited film schools require students to pull permits, and that its application fees are deeply discounted for students, with most of its jurisdictions also waiving use fees at municipal properties like parks and beaches. To qualify for the student reductions, FilmLA lists these criteria:
- Enrolled in an accredited higher education institution.
- The project is specifically for course credit.
- The project is not used commercially and/or the school retains all rights.
Students prove this with a certification letter emailed by an authorized school official plus a copy of their student ID. Applications go through the MyFilmLA system by the 10:00 a.m. deadline for each jurisdiction. FilmLA also requires proof of insurance, and notes that most area film schools already have a policy on file that meets student requirements.
| Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| School certification letter requested | Producer | Sent by the authorized official |
| Permit applications filed | Producer | Confirmation numbers in the folder |
| School insurance confirmed for each location and activity | Producer | Certificate of insurance naming whoever the location requires |
| Special activities cleared | Producer | Water work, prop weapons, vehicles, drones, minors: school safety office sign-off |
Ferry Season has a lead in the water at a ferry dock at night. That's the scene most likely to be refused or conditioned by the school's safety office, the dock owner, or the insurer, which is why it's on the list at five weeks.
4 weeks out: lock the plan
| Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Cast confirmed, releases ready | Producer | Offers accepted; talent releases prepared |
| Schedule locked | 1st AD | Approved by director and producer |
| Shot list | Director / DP | Every scene, setups in shooting order |
| Equipment reserved | DP / gaffer / sound | School checkout confirmed; rentals quoted |
| Wardrobe and props lists | Costume / art | Built from the breakdown, with multiples |
| Budget revised | Producer | Real quotes replace estimates |
2 weeks out: scouts and rehearsals
| Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Tech scout at every location | Department heads | Power, camera positions, parking, holding, restroom plan |
| Rehearsals | Director and cast | Blocking for the hardest scenes |
| Fittings | Costume | All principals |
| Safety plan | 1st AD / producer | Nearest hospital for each location, water safety plan, set medic or first-aid lead |
| Meals and craft services | Producer | Booked per day with headcounts |
Final week: paper for the set
| Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Call sheets drafted for each day | 1st AD / producer | Each day's sheet sent by wrap the day before |
| Signed releases in hand | Producer | Talent and location paperwork printed and digital |
| Permits and insurance certificates on set | Producer | Printed copies in the production binder |
| Gear checkout | Camera, sound, grip | Tested, batteries charged, media formatted |
| Data plan | DIT or assistant editor | Two backups per day, naming convention agreed |
What gets forgotten on thesis films
- Music. A song playing in a scene needs a license or a composer, and festivals will ask.
- Footage rights between school and student. Read your program's policy before you promise anyone a distribution deal.
- Minors. Work permits and hours rules apply to student shoots too. See working with minors on set.
- Turnaround. A crew that wraps at 2 a.m. and calls at 7 a.m. is a safety problem on the drive home.
- Post. Book the edit, sound mix, and color time before the shoot, since school suites fill up near deadlines.
Tools for keeping it together
A printable version of this list lives in the pre-production checklist template, and the paperwork in the film production paperwork guide. If your instructor runs the course through Storiara's Instructor plan, students join the class with a code and submit their project there, and the same story holds the breakdown, stripboard, and call sheets; see Storiara for student films.