Set life is absolute pandemonium on its own, but add some poor planning and confusion into the mix and you've got a real nightmare on your hands. To have a clear and concise plan for every day of production, filmmakers create shooting schedules—but if you've never really made one before it's difficult to know how to draw one up so that it saves you time, money, and frustration down the road. In this video, StudioBinder lists five tips that will help you organize your shoots to make your production cheaper, more dynamic, and easier for your cast and crew to manage.

There are a lot of things to consider when putting your shooting schedule together, but the five mentioned in the video will really get you thinking about what a well-planned schedule looks like.

  • Quick wins: Alternate between easy and hard scenes to keep your cast and crew from getting drained.
  • Maximize locations:  Consolidate your locations to cut down on costs. Take advantage of nearby areas where you can get a few pick-ups and b-roll.
  • Work chronologically: You won't always be able to shoot your film in order for a number of reasons (scheduling issues, time constraints, etc.), but doing so as much as possible will help your actors connect with their characters' emotional arch.
  • Set milestones: Who doesn't love the sense of achievement? You can create these moments by highlighting the completion of a difficult scene, a challenging stunt, or an actor's last day.
  • Plan night shoots carefully: Scheduling a night shoot and a day shoot back to back will lead to an overly tired, overworked cast and crew. Give your team at least twelve hours to rest and relax before their next call time. (For most unions, that's the law anyway.)

What are some other important things to think about when planning a shooting schedule? Let us know down in the comments.

Source: StudioBinder

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