What goes on a call sheet
The short answer
A call sheet tells everyone working a shoot where to be, when to be there, and what happens once they arrive. At minimum it carries the date, location with address and parking notes, call times per person or department, the schedule for the day, key contacts with phone numbers, and the nearest hospital. It should reach the crew the evening before the shoot, not the morning of.
You are running a shoot with more than two people and need everyone to arrive at the right place at the right time.
Step by step
- 1
Head it with date, location and weather
Full address, parking or loading instructions, and the forecast for an outdoor shoot. Include what3words or a pin for rural locations where a street address resolves badly.
- 2
List call times per person, not one time for everyone
Hair and makeup, camera and talent rarely need the same call. A single blanket call time either wastes people’s hours or makes them late.
- 3
Set out the schedule in blocks
Break the day into the sessions everyone will actually refer to, with a time against each. These are the same blocks you will later record hours against.
- 4
Give key contacts with live phone numbers
Producer, first assistant, and the client contact, with numbers that will be answered on the day. On a shoot the call sheet is the phone book.
- 5
Include the nearest hospital and any safety notes
Nearest emergency department with address, plus hazards specific to the location. This is standard practice on professional productions and takes two minutes.
- 6
Send the night before and confirm receipt
Distribute the evening before and track who has acknowledged it. "I never got the call sheet" is the most common cause of a late start.
Where this goes wrong
Sending it the morning of the shoot
Crew plan travel the night before. A call sheet that arrives at 6am has already failed the people travelling furthest.
No parking or access instructions
On a city shoot, parking is the most common reason a crew member is late. Two lines of instruction prevent it.
One call time for the whole crew
Either you pay people to wait or somebody arrives after the shot is set. Both cost money.
No record of who received it
Without acknowledgement you cannot tell the difference between someone who ignored the call sheet and someone who never got it.
Frequently asked
When should a call sheet go out?
The evening before the shoot day. Earlier for shoots involving significant travel or early calls.
Does a small photo shoot need a call sheet?
Any shoot with more than two people benefits from one. For a two-person shoot a message with address, time and contact usually suffices.
What is the most commonly missed field?
The nearest hospital, followed by parking instructions. Both are trivial to add and both matter on the day something goes wrong.