# Daily production report

Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/daily-production-report
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Spencer Kaufman, Storiara

> A daily production report, or DPR, is the official record of a shoot day, prepared by the assistant directors and signed by the UPM. It compares scheduled work with completed work (scenes, pages, setups, minutes) and logs cast and crew times, meal breaks, background counts, media used, delays, and accidents.

## What goes on a DPR

A DPR is the [call sheet](https://storiara.com/glossary/call-sheet) turned into a record. The front page is the scorecard for the day:

| | Scheduled | Shot today | Previously | Total to date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenes | 14, 15pt, 31 | 14, 15pt | 38 | 40 |
| Pages | 3 | 2 7/8 | 41 4/8 | 44 3/8 |
| Setups | | 19 | 212 | 231 |
| Minutes (script timing) | | 3:10 | 46:20 | 49:30 |

Below that come the day's times: crew call 6:30 AM, first shot 7:52 AM, lunch 12:30 to 1:00 PM, first shot after lunch 1:24 PM, camera wrap 7:10 PM, last crew out 8:05 PM. Scene 31 did not get shot, so it goes in the notes with a reason ("lost 40 minutes to generator failure; sc. 31 moved to Day 9").

The inside pages carry cast times (in, makeup, on set, meals, dismissed), background counts and times, crew in and out times by department, media or film stock used, equipment added for the day, meal penalties, [company moves](https://storiara.com/glossary/company-move), and any accident or injury with the time and who was notified.

## Where the numbers come from

The 2nd AD does not invent any of this. Pages, setups, and screen time come from the [script supervisor's report](https://storiara.com/glossary/script-supervisor-report). Media totals come from the [camera report](https://storiara.com/glossary/camera-report) and [sound report](https://storiara.com/glossary/sound-report). Cast times have to match [Exhibit G](https://storiara.com/glossary/exhibit-g), and crew times should match [time cards](https://storiara.com/glossary/time-card). When those documents disagree, somebody in payroll will find it later.

## Mistakes that come back to bite

Softening the notes is the classic one. Writing "slight delay" instead of "director held camera 35 minutes for a script rewrite" protects no one, and it leaves the production with no record if a completion guarantor or insurer asks why the shoot went over. Other problems are simpler: rounding first-meal times so a [meal penalty](https://storiara.com/glossary/meal-penalty) disappears, forgetting to carry the "previously" column forward, or listing background counts from the call sheet instead of the vouchers actually signed.

## What happens to it next

Accounting uses the DPR alongside [hot costs](https://storiara.com/glossary/hot-costs) to see how far over or under the day ran. The line producer tracks totals against the schedule, and at the end of the shoot the running totals feed the [wrap report](https://storiara.com/glossary/wrap-report). A blank [daily production report template](https://storiara.com/templates/daily-production-report) has all the sections, and the [DPR guide](https://storiara.com/blog/daily-production-report-guide) walks through filling one out.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who fills out the daily production report?

The 2nd AD or 2nd 2nd AD compiles it from the call sheet, the script supervisor's report, camera and sound reports, and time sheets. The UPM reviews and signs it, and on some shows the 1st AD signs too.

### When is the DPR due?

The draft is built during and right after the day, and the signed report usually goes to the production office, accounting, and the studio or financier the next morning.

### Why does the production report matter legally?

It's the production's official account of the day. Insurance claims, union claims about meal penalties or turnaround, and disputes about delays all go back to what the DPR says, so it has to be factual and consistent with Exhibit G and time cards.

### What is the difference between a call sheet and a production report?

The call sheet is the plan sent before the day. The production report is the record written after it, comparing that plan with what was actually shot and who worked what hours.