How a block is set up
A fictional eight-episode series has four blocks of two episodes. Block 2 (episodes 3 and 4) gets one director, a 16-day schedule, and its own prep. Everything the two episodes share gets shot together:
| Location | Ep. 3 pages | Ep. 4 pages | Block total |
|---|---|---|---|
| INT. PRECINCT BULLPEN | 6 2/8 | 4 5/8 | 10 7/8 |
| INT. MAYA'S APARTMENT | 3 4/8 | 5 1/8 | 8 5/8 |
| EXT. HARBOR | 2 6/8 | 0 | 2 6/8 |
For the bullpen row, 6 2/8 + 4 5/8 is 10 pages plus 7/8, so 10 7/8. Instead of visiting the precinct set twice in two separate episode schedules, the block visits it once for about two days. Without blocks, each episode would carry its own set moves and location fees for the apartment.
Blocks in vertical and web series
Short-form and vertical drama productions push this much further. A 60-episode vertical series with one-to-two-minute episodes may shoot the whole season in one or two blocks, with every scene at the same apartment location across all episodes shot on one day. The call sheet scene list might read "Ep. 12 sc. 3, Ep. 14 sc. 1, Ep. 31 sc. 2" in a row.
Feature use of the term
On features, "block shooting" sometimes means shooting all angles from one direction across several scenes before turning around. If scenes 14, 15, and 19 are all at the diner counter, the crew can light the counter looking toward the kitchen once, shoot every shot in that direction for all three scenes, then turn around. It saves relighting at the cost of harder work for actors, who jump between scenes and emotional beats.
Problems it creates
Continuity work multiplies. Wardrobe, hair, and makeup track script days across two or more episodes shot out of order, and one day can include six story days. The script supervisor's notes become critical, so give them prep time.
Late script changes are harder too. If episode 4 is rewritten after the block's board is locked, the change can move scenes the episode 3 schedule depends on. For how blocks relate to mixing strips across episodes, see cross-boarding and the blog comparison block shooting vs cross-boarding.