# Shooting schedule

Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/shooting-schedule
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Spencer Kaufman, Storiara

> A shooting schedule is the production's day-by-day plan for principal photography. It puts every scene in the order it will be shot and lists, for each one, the set, day or night, page count, cast, and breakdown elements such as props, vehicles, extras, and special equipment.

## What goes on each entry

The long-form shooting schedule is the stripboard printed out with everything attached. A single scene entry on day 6 of an 18-day indie feature might read:

| Field | Entry |
| --- | --- |
| Scene | 42 |
| Set | EXT. PARKING GARAGE, LEVEL 3 - NIGHT |
| Synopsis | Maya chases Joe to his car and takes the keys |
| Pages | 1 3/8 |
| Cast | 1. MAYA, 3. JOE, 7. SECURITY GUARD |
| Background | 4 parkers |
| Props | Car keys, security flashlight |
| Picture vehicles | Joe's 2009 Civic |
| Stunts | Stunt coordinator, Maya slide over hood |
| Location | Hill St. garage, 2nd and Hill |

Below the last scene of the day comes an end-of-day line with the total pages (for example "END OF DAY 6: 5 2/8 pages") and then the next shoot day starts. Some ADs also print the story day or [script day](https://storiara.com/glossary/script-day) on each scene so wardrobe and makeup can track continuity.

## How the 1st AD builds it

The schedule starts with a [script breakdown](https://storiara.com/glossary/script-breakdown): every scene tagged with cast, props, wardrobe, vehicles, and so on. Each scene becomes a [strip](https://storiara.com/glossary/strip), and the [1st AD](https://storiara.com/roles/first-assistant-director) orders those strips into shoot days on a [stripboard](https://storiara.com/glossary/stripboard). The order is driven by practical constraints more than story order. Locations get grouped to cut [company moves](https://storiara.com/glossary/company-move), actor availability gets packed tight to keep the [day out of days](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-out-of-days) short, and night work gets clustered so [turnaround](https://storiara.com/glossary/turnaround) stays legal.

Once the board holds, the software prints the shooting schedule and the [one-line schedule](https://storiara.com/glossary/one-line-schedule) from the same data. If you are working in a spreadsheet, the [shooting schedule template](https://storiara.com/templates/shooting-schedule) has the same columns.

## Mistakes that show up on the day

The most common one is trusting page count as a proxy for time. A 1/8-page line like "They fight." can eat half a day with a stunt team, while three pages of two people at a kitchen table might go in a couple of hours. Before locking, the AD should walk the director through each day and ask how many setups each scene needs.

Other problems: a scene scheduled at a location nobody has confirmed, a minor scheduled past their permitted hours, or a picture vehicle listed on the schedule but never added to the transportation plan. Check each department's list against the schedule before it goes out.

## Where it feeds

The call sheet for each day is built from that day's section of the shooting schedule, and the [advance schedule](https://storiara.com/glossary/advance-schedule) at the bottom of the call sheet comes from the following days. The line producer uses total shoot days to budget crew weeks. For a rough day count before you have a board, try the [shoot days estimator](https://storiara.com/tools/shoot-days-estimator).

In Storiara, the schedule is built by dragging scenes (or individual shots) into shoot days, and the call sheet and DOOD views read from that schedule.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who makes the shooting schedule on a film?

The 1st AD builds it, usually starting in prep from the script breakdown. On smaller shows the UPM or line producer may draft a first pass, and the producer and director sign off on the version that gets distributed.

### What is the difference between a shooting schedule and a one-line schedule?

They come from the same stripboard. The shooting schedule prints every element for every scene, so it runs long. The one-liner prints one line per scene with only the scene number, set, day or night, pages, and cast IDs.

### How often does the shooting schedule change?

Constantly during prep and regularly during the shoot. Each revision gets a new date and often a color, and the ADs send a revised version whenever a day's scene order, location, or cast changes.

### How many pages a day should a shooting schedule plan?

It depends on the format, budget, and scene content. Stunts, kids, animals, and heavy coverage slow a day down. Run your page count through a shoot-days estimate and then adjust scene by scene rather than trusting a flat pages-per-day number.