A pre-production schedule is the countdown to day one: every task that has to happen before camera rolls, with an owner and a due date, counted backwards from the shoot. This is a blank pre-production schedule template as an Excel file, with a filled-in eight-week example from a sample production, Nightfall.
What's in the template
- Week — weeks before day one (Wk −8 … Wk −1), so the sheet is honest about how little time is left.
- Due, Task, Department, Owner — a task is a deliverable with a name on it, not a department.
- Status — Not started / In progress / Done / Blocked, and nothing else, so it stays scannable.
The schedule
The example follows the real dependency chain: lock the script, then break it down, then budget, then cast and scout, then permits and gear, then the tech scout and schedule lock in the final two weeks. Notice the market permit is flagged two weeks out — permits are the classic pre-production surprise.
| Week | Due | Task | Department | Owner | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk -8 | 2026-03-17 | Lock shooting script | Production | J. Ellison | Done | v4 locked |
| Wk -8 | 2026-03-20 | Script breakdown complete | Production | S. Moreau | Done | |
| Wk -7 | 2026-03-27 | First-pass budget | Production | R. Kaplan | Done | Local rates confirmed |
| Wk -6 | 2026-04-03 | Principal cast offers out | Casting | R. Kaplan | Done | Maya, Reyes, Okafor |
| Wk -6 | 2026-04-05 | Location scout — diner, market, rooftop | Locations | B. Ruiz | Done | |
| Wk -5 | 2026-04-10 | Cast confirmed; contracts signed | Casting | R. Kaplan | In progress | Suspect pending |
| Wk -4 | 2026-04-17 | Location agreements + permits filed | Locations | B. Ruiz | In progress | Market permit 2 wks |
| Wk -3 | 2026-04-24 | Camera / lighting package booked | Camera | A. Kimura | Not started | |
| Wk -2 | 2026-05-01 | Tech scout (all HODs) | Production | S. Moreau | Not started | |
| Wk -2 | 2026-05-02 | Insurance bound; COIs to locations | Production | R. Kaplan | Not started | |
| Wk -1 | 2026-05-08 | Final shooting schedule locked | Production | S. Moreau | Not started | |
| Wk -1 | 2026-05-11 | Day 1 call sheet out | Production | S. Moreau | Not started | By 18:00 |
- Week:
- Weeks before day one. Negative numbers keep the sheet honest about how little time is left.
- Status:
- Not started / In progress / Done / Blocked. Nothing else — you want it scannable.
How to use it
- Count backwards from day one of the shoot. Most indie features need 6–8 weeks of real pre-production.
- Give every task an owner and a due date. "Casting" is not a task; "offer out to Reyes by Apr 10 — Producer" is.
- Lock the script first. Everything below it — breakdown, schedule, budget, locations — moves when the script moves.
- Put the tech scout and the final schedule lock in the last week, not the last day.
- Review it weekly with department heads. Red status on Monday is a plan; red status on Friday is a problem.
Common mistakes
- Tasks without owners. “Casting — In progress” belongs to nobody. “Offer out to Reyes by Apr 10 — R. Kaplan” gets done.
- Too little time. Six to eight weeks is realistic for an indie feature. Three weeks is how shoots end up without permits.
- Tech scout on the last day. The tech scout is where you discover the rooftop has no power. Leave a week to fix what it finds.
- Not reviewing it. A weekly ten-minute pass with department heads is the whole point.