A shooting schedule turns a script into shoot days: which scenes get shot when, where, and with whom. This is a blank shooting schedule template as an Excel file, with a filled-in three-day example from a sample production, Nightfall, so you can see how scenes get grouped into days.
What's in the template
- Schedule — one row per scene with day #, date, INT/EXT, day/night, set, description, cast numbers, and pages. This is the stripboard in spreadsheet form.
- Day Summary — one row per shoot day: scenes, total pages, locations, and which cast are on set. The at-a-glance sanity check.
The schedule
Notice the grouping in the example: Day 1 is all diner scenes (5, 12, 12A) — one location, no company move — and the night exteriors (31, 33) sit together on Day 2. That's the whole craft: group by location first, then by cast, then by day/night.
| Day # | Date | Scene # | INT/EXT | Day/Night | Set | Description | Cast # | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tue, May 12, 2026 | 5 | INT | DAY | Diner — Booth 4 | Reyes and Okafor compare case notes over cold coffee. | 2, 3, 1 | 2 |
| 1 | Tue, May 12, 2026 | 12 | INT | DAY | Diner — Kitchen | Maya confronts the line cook about the missing order. | 1, 4 | 1.25 |
| 1 | Tue, May 12, 2026 | 12A | INT | NIGHT | Diner — Kitchen | Closing up alone, Maya finds the note taped under the pass. | 1 | 0.75 |
| 2 | Wed, May 13, 2026 | 27 | EXT | DAY | Main Street Market | Foot chase through the crowded stalls. | 2, 5 | 1.5 |
| 2 | Wed, May 13, 2026 | 31 | EXT | NIGHT | Rooftop | The standoff at the ledge. Rain. | 2, 5, 3 | 1 |
| 2 | Wed, May 13, 2026 | 33 | EXT | NIGHT | Rooftop | Aftermath. Sirens below. | 2, 3 | 0.5 |
| 3 | Thu, May 14, 2026 | 8 | INT | DAY | Precinct — Office | Okafor pulls the file; the captain wants it closed. | 3 | 1.5 |
| 3 | Thu, May 14, 2026 | 14 | INT | NIGHT | Reyes's Apartment | Reyes plays the voicemail again. Maya at the door. | 2, 1 | 1.75 |
- Day #:
- Shoot-day number, not calendar day. Day 1 is the first day with camera rolling.
- Pages:
- Sum these per day. If a day is over ~6 pages, it probably needs to split.
Day summary
Re-total this after every change. A day that creeps past ~6 pages, or that needs every cast member, is the day that breaks.
| Day # | Date | Scenes | Pages | Locations | Cast on Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tue, May 12, 2026 | 5, 12, 12A | 4 | Diner | Reyes, Okafor, Maya, Cook |
| 2 | Wed, May 13, 2026 | 27, 31, 33 | 3 | Main Street Market, Rooftop | Reyes, Suspect, Okafor |
| 3 | Thu, May 14, 2026 | 8, 14 | 3.25 | Precinct, Reyes's Apartment | Okafor, Reyes, Maya |
How to use it
- Start from your breakdown: one row per scene, with INT/EXT, day/night, set, cast, and page count.
- Group scenes by location first — company moves cost hours. Then by cast availability, then by day/night.
- Assign a day number and date to each row. Aim for 4–6 pages a day on an indie shoot; less for action or kids.
- Keep night exteriors together and late in the week, so the crew’s turnaround doesn’t fight the schedule.
- Re-total the pages per day after every change. The day that quietly crept to 9 pages is the one that breaks.
Common mistakes
- Scheduling in script order. Script order is for reading. Shoot order is for locations and cast.
- Ignoring turnaround. A night shoot that wraps at 03:00 cannot be followed by a 07:00 call. Put nights at the end of the week.
- Forgetting company moves. Moving locations costs two to three hours of a day. Two moves in one day is a short day.
- Not re-totalling pages. The schedule that looked fine in week one has quietly become 8 pages on Day 4.
For the full method, read How to Create a Shooting Schedule.