Wrap report: Meaning in Film Production

Wrap report

Definition

A wrap report is the summary document prepared when principal photography or a department's work ends. It totals shoot days, scenes, pages, and setups against the plan, lists overtime, meal penalties, and incidents, and records equipment returns, loss and damage, and open items, so accounting and producers can close out the shoot.

What a production wrap report covers

The front section compares plan and result, pulled from the final daily production report:

	Scheduled	Actual	Variance
Shoot days	18	19	+1 (Day 19 added for sc. 31, 88)
Scenes	112	110	2 omitted in revisions
Pages	98 4/8	97 1/8	-1 3/8
Setups		604
Average pages per day	5 4/8	5 1/8

Average pages per day is simple division: 97 1/8 pages over 19 days is about 5.1 pages, or 5 1/8 in eighths.

After the numbers come the production notes: days that ran long, total meal penalties, accidents with dates and claim numbers, company moves, weather days used, and pickups still owed.

Department wrap sections

Each department closes its own book. Camera lists every rented item returned, with dates and any damage. Art and set dressing list purchases kept for reshoots, items sold or donated, and rental returns. Wardrobe records what was purchased, what went back, and which costumes are held for pickup shots. Locations confirm every property was restored and deposits came back. Transport reports vehicle returns and fuel.

A single loss and damage line looks like this: "Camera. 1x 25mm prime, cracked front element, Day 14. Rental house invoice $1,850. Insurance claim filed 4/2, deductible applies."

Why it matters after the crew goes home

Accounting can't close the cost report until every rental is back and every invoice is in. Insurance claims need dates and documentation. If the film has a completion guarantor or a financier, they'll want the wrap numbers. And post-production needs to know about missing scenes or pickup days before the editor finds the gap.

Common gaps

The report gets written from memory weeks later, after the department heads have moved to other jobs. Get department wrap notes before final paychecks go out. Also watch for rental items "returned" with nobody signing a return slip, and pickup shots mentioned only in the 1st AD's email.

Use the wrap report template for layout, and the wrap report guide for a step-by-step close-out.

Frequently asked questions

Who writes the wrap report?

The UPM or production supervisor writes the production-wide version from the DPRs and cost reports. Department heads write their own wrap notes (loss and damage, returns, inventory) and the production coordinator collects them.

Is a wrap report the same as the last DPR?

No. The last daily production report covers the final shoot day. The wrap report covers the whole shoot, plus the business of closing it: returns, final invoices, open claims, and outstanding pickups.

What does wrap mean on a call sheet versus a wrap report?

On a call sheet, wrap is the end of a single shoot day. A wrap report is about wrapping the production or a department, which happens once.