What counts as a new setup
If the camera moves from a wide to a close-up on the same axis and the gaffer only adds a small bounce, most script supervisors still slate it as a new setup (42 becomes 42A) because it's a different shot for editorial. When the camera turns around to shoot the other actor, that's a new setup with a much bigger lighting change. A dolly move that covers what would have been two shots is one setup. Two cameras rolling at once on different sizes are usually logged as two setups sharing the same takes, though productions count this differently on the production report, so agree on a method in prep.
Doing the arithmetic
Say the call sheet has 4 5/8 pages across three scenes, and the shot list calls for 26 setups. Crew call is 7:00A with a 12-hour day including a one-hour lunch.
- Available shooting time: 12 hours minus 1 hour lunch = 11 hours
- Take out the first setup's long lighting build, about 1.5 hours: 9.5 hours for the remaining 25 setups
- 9.5 hours x 60 minutes / 25 setups = about 23 minutes per setup
Twenty-three minutes includes lighting, rehearsal, and takes. If the DP says the night exterior coverage needs 45 minutes each, the day doesn't work, and the 1st AD has to cut setups, combine angles with a second camera, or move a scene. The shoot days estimator runs a version of this math at the schedule level.
Setups on the production report
The daily production report usually records the number of setups completed, along with pages, minutes, and scenes. Producers watch this number across days. A company that's averaging 18 setups while the schedule assumed 25 is going to go over, and the UPM will want to know why before week two.
Words that cause confusion
"Turnaround" is the big one. On set, "turning around" means shooting the reverse angle of a scene, which is a new setup. In scheduling and payroll, turnaround means the rest period between wrap and the next call. They have nothing to do with each other, and new PAs mix them up constantly.
"Reset" is different too. A reset puts props, actors, and background back to their starting positions to shoot another take of the same setup. It doesn't change the camera.