Download a free PDF call sheet template for commercial video productions, documentary films, & any other nonnarrative shoot. Call sheets are an essential part of any production, keeping everyone from crew, clients, and cast on the same page. It supplies everyone involved with vital information such as call time, locations, the schedule for the day, and crew contacts for easy communication. This call sheet template isn’t just free to download, but also easy to use, compatible with nearly every device, and in a fresh but familiar design.
Keeping the call sheet easy and quick to fill out was a major concern when it came to designing the template. It’s format allows its use on both computers and mobile devices.
As a PDF Form, it can natively be filled out in Adobe Acrobat and many other popular PDF viewers like Apple Preview. It has prearranged form fields eliminating the need for 3rd party software.
There are two included versions of the PDF form: A single page call sheet that contains everything needed for 90% of shoots, and an extended version for larger scale productions.
The template’s clean design ensures easy readability of core information, While it’s a fresh unique layout, it has an instantly familiar look and feel to it.
In addition to text fields it also has a space to insert an image to give the call sheet a custom branded look. Just click the space, link a logo image, and it automatically scales it to fit the logo box.
Using the PDF format ensures it is universally openable across a wide range of devices, from computers, mobile phones, and directly inside email clients.
The template is easy to fill out on Mac, PCs, or even mobile devices! While most PDF viewers work, Adobe Acrobat is recommended for perfect compatibility with all features. Adobe Acrobat Reader is free to instal for computers and mobile OSs.
The form contains preformatted PDF form fields that can be clicked to enter information. Starting with the first form field, Call Time, you can also tab through the entire sheet in order.
There are two required fields that cannot be left blank when exporting; Call Time & Shoot Date. All other fields are optional and can be left blank if not needed.
To give a branded look to your call sheets the production companies logo can be easily embedded. This feature only works in Adobe Acrobat on computers. On the left upper portion of the call sheet there is a light grey boundary box. Clicking anywhere there will allow you to embed an image that automatically scales to an appropriate size. If you wish to use a branded version on mobile devices or with alternate software, simply save a version with the logo already embedded as a new template to use on those devices.
Once the call sheet has been filled out simply run the “Save As” command to have a ready to distribute PDF that can be attached to emails for sending to cast and crew.
A daily call sheet is a document sent out prior to every day of filming containing vital information such as cast & call times, locations, crew contacts. schedule, etc. Call sheets are typically created and sent to crew & talent by the producer, production coordinator, or assistant director. Call sheets ensure everyone is working with the same information and is an essential part of every video production.
A great call sheet has a clean concise design that easily communicates all the relevant information needed telling each crew member where and when they need to show up, what to expect from the day, and how to get in contact with other crew members for easy communication throughout the shooting day.
This call sheet contains a prominently displayed title for the production. This is helpful not just so everyone knows exactly what they are working on, but is helpful for when the production contractors submit invoices as a unique identifier.
There are several call times that go on call sheets, General Crew Call, Individual Call Times, Client Call, and More. In addition to call times for crew, talent, and clients, there is also places to list other important times like first shot, lunch, and estimated wrap.
Having the shoot date on the call shee ensures everyone shows up on the right day, and becomes even more important on multi day shoots to make sure crew members are looking at the right call sheet for each day.
When working on location, weather can impact your shooting schedule, and is important for crew to prepare accordingly for temperatures and potencial precipitation. When relying on natural light for shooting, having sunrise & sunset times helps you keep track of how much time you have to shoot before you lose light.
While most shoots go without incident, there is still a lot of potential for an injury when working. In the unlikely event something does happen, its important to have the nearest hospital listed on the call sheet to get the injured party there as quickly as possible. Large scale productions often have a set medic as part of the crew to coordinate any medical emergencies.
On the left side of the call sheet important contacts are listed, including Client, Agency, Producer, Director, Director of Photography, and more.
The production company is an important piece of information come time for the crew members to submit invoices. In addition for a field to list the production companies legal name, there is also an image box for embedding a logo to give the commercial call sheet a branded look.
Location info containing addresses and parking notes is one of the most important pieces of info call sheets contain. There is space for 5 locations on this call sheet template. Each location has a place to assign it a number which can be useful for referencing it in notes.
Having contact info for internal communication between different crew members can help keep things moving smoothly. A couple scenarios where this information becomes crucial might include a set PA placing lunch orders for the crew or for the DP to discuss camera prep with an AC or lighting with the gaffer. In the production world you constantly are working with different people, so being able to have a reference sheet to put people’s names to production roles is great!
In addition to crew, talent also needs to know when to show up and are also sent a call sheet.. Oftentimes telent contact info needs to be kept confidential, especially when dealing with high profile celebrity talent, so unlike crew there isn’t a place to list contact info.
Keeping moving on time to make your shooting day all starts with a schedule. This gives a breakdown of when key moments throughout the day are planned to happen, like when to arrive at locations, when to expect an interview subjects, or even simple things like when lunch needs to be ready by.
While clean easily readable tables are great for standardized information sets like contact info, there is often a need for more specific notes, like no social media on set or the need for crew to dress in black. Whatever additional info your crew needs can be added easily in a dedicated notes field on the bottom right side of the call sheet.
While this single page call sheet works for most shoots, there are occasions where larger scale shoots require crew or talent beyond what can fit on a single page. When this is the case there is an alternate two page version to add additional fields such as additional crew contacts, additional talent, extras, department specific notes, and walkie channel assignments.
