The daily production report (DPR) is the official record of a shoot day: call and wrap times, scenes scheduled versus shot, cast hours, and anything that went wrong. It's what payroll, insurance, and the producer's “are we on schedule?” question all run on. This is a blank DPR template as an Excel file, with a filled-in Day 1 from a sample production, Nightfall.
What's in the template
- Day Report — the headline numbers: crew call, first shot, lunch, wrap, scenes scheduled / completed / partial, pages, setups, weather.
- Cast Times — call, arrival, on-set, and wrap per actor, plus meal penalties. This is what overtime and turnaround are calculated from.
- Notes & Incidents — delays, equipment problems, schedule changes, near-misses — with the action taken and who reported it.
Day report
The example day is honest: 4.00 pages scheduled, 3.25 shot, Scene 12A half done because the rain came early. Over three days that scheduled-vs-shot gap is the truest measure of whether the schedule is real.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Production | Nightfall |
| Date | Tue, May 12, 2026 |
| Day | Day 1 of 18 |
| Crew Call | 06:30 |
| First Shot | 08:42 |
| Lunch | 13:00 – 13:30 |
| First Shot After Lunch | 14:10 |
| Camera Wrap | 19:05 |
| Crew Wrap | 19:50 |
| Scenes Scheduled | 5, 12, 12A |
| Scenes Completed | 5, 12 |
| Scenes Partially Shot | 12A (2 of 4 setups) |
| Pages Scheduled / Shot | 4.00 / 3.25 |
| Setups | 23 |
| Weather | Overcast; rain from 19:00 |
Cast times
| # | Character | Actor | Call | Arrived | On Set | Wrap | Meal Penalty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maya | Dana Whitfield | 06:45 | 06:40 | 08:00 | 19:05 | No | |
| 2 | Reyes | Marcus Oyelaran | 07:15 | 07:20 | 08:30 | 12:45 | No | Wrapped early — Sc. 5 only |
| 3 | Okafor | Priya Nair | 07:15 | 07:10 | 08:30 | 12:45 | No | |
| 4 | Cook | Tom Barrow | 09:30 | 09:25 | 10:00 | 19:05 | No | Held for 12A |
Notes & incidents
Log everything, however small, while it's fresh. The fridge-compressor note is why Day 4's call sheet will say “unplug the fridge.”
| Time | Type | Description | Action Taken | Reported By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:15 | Delay | Fridge compressor noise in kitchen; 25 min lost re-blocking for sound. | Unplugged fridge between takes; props iced the shelves. | L. Ferreira |
| 16:40 | Equipment | Slider plate stripped; 2 setups shot handheld. | Replacement from Harbor Camera for Day 2. | E. Novak |
| 19:00 | Schedule | 12A not completed — rain arrived early, light changed. | Remaining 2 setups moved to Day 4 (diner, night). | S. Moreau |
How to use it
- Fill it in at wrap, every day, while it is fresh. It is the official record of what happened.
- Record scenes scheduled vs. scenes shot, and pages. Over three days that gap tells you whether the schedule is real.
- Log cast in/out times exactly — this is what payroll, overtime, and turnaround are calculated from.
- Note every incident, however small: a near-miss, a damaged prop, a late vendor. Insurance and the next day’s plan depend on it.
- Send it to the producer and UPM the same night. A DPR that arrives three days later is a diary, not a report.
Common mistakes
- Writing it the next morning. By then the times are guesses. Fill it in at wrap.
- Rounding cast times. 12:45 is not 13:00. Overtime and meal penalties are calculated to the minute.
- Leaving incidents out to look good. The DPR is a record, not a report card. An unlogged near-miss is an insurance problem later.
The DPR closes the loop that starts with the call sheet: what was planned in the morning, what actually happened by night.