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Make a 48-hour film

Who can do this: Free plan on your first project, Supporter on all projects. Sending call sheets by email needs Supporter.
On a 48-hour film you know where you are shooting and who is on the crew before you have a story. Send the call sheet first, write at kickoff, and let the script fill in the rest of the weekend. This is one way to run the weekend. Nothing here has to happen in this order, and the parts can overlap.

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Before kickoff: add your location

You have a location and a crew. You do not have a script.
  1. Create a project and skip the script. See Create your first project.
  2. Open Production and click Locations.
  3. Type the location name in Add a location.
  4. Click Add location.
  5. On the location’s board, fill in the address, parking, and nearest hospital. See Managing locations.

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Before kickoff: send the call sheet

  1. Open Production and click Call Sheets.
  2. Click Create a Schedule, give it a name, and click Create Schedule.
  3. Click Call Sheets, then New Call Sheet.
  4. Under Pick a shoot date, pick the shoot day.
  5. Click Create call sheet for this date.
  6. In Locations, type your location’s name in Add a location and click Add location. Its address, parking, and hospital come with it.
  7. In Crew, click + and add your crew. See Managing crews.
  8. Click the dash next to Crew Call and set the time.
  9. Click Click to add company notes and write a line like “Script lands Friday night.”
  10. Click Send Call Sheet.
Your crew has the place and the call time. Scenes and cast come later, on the same sheet.

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Kickoff: outline the story

  1. Open Writing and click Outline.
  2. Click Short Film.
  3. Fill in the beats as the team talks it through.
  4. Add a scene card for each scene: click Add, click the colored pill on the new element, and pick Scene.
  5. Write each scene card as a scene heading, like INT. PORT HAVEN DINER - NIGHT.
Use the exact name of the location you added. Scenes at that location connect to it and keep its address. See Script outline.

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Kickoff: start the script

  1. Click ⋮ in the outline toolbar.
  2. Click Start a script from this outline.
  3. Click OK to confirm.
The script editor opens with your scene headings in order. Write the pages under them. See Using the script editor. Start a script from this outline only shows before the project has a script. If you already pasted or imported pages, write in the editor instead.

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Before call time: break it down and set the day

  1. Open Breakdown and check your cast, props, and locations. Tag anything the script needs on the day. See Your first breakdown.
  2. Open Production and click Schedule.
  3. Click + to open Add Day Breaks.
  4. Tick Set start date and pick your first shoot day.
  5. Leave Sa and Su ticked. Unticked days are skipped when the dates are handed out.
  6. Click Add day breaks.
The day on your call sheet’s date takes the call sheet you already sent, with its crew, notes, and times. It picks up the cast and locations from that day’s scenes. You will not get a second sheet for the same day. See Stripboard and days. If the whole script fits on one day, Add Day Breaks adds no break and your call sheet stays as Day 1. Its scenes, cast, and locations still fill in.

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Before call time: resend the call sheet

  1. Open Production and click Call Sheets.
  2. Click View on your shoot day.
  3. Check the Talent call times. See Managing cast.
  4. Click Send Call Sheet.
Everyone gets their own call time and the scenes for the day.

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Shoot day: shots on phones

  1. Build a quick shot list in the Builder. See Your first shot list.
  2. Open the shot list on a phone on set and mark shots as you get them. See Using your shot list on the shoot day.

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Skip for now

None of these are needed to make the film this weekend. Come back to them if the project grows.
  • Budget. Track spending after the weekend if you need to.
  • Day out of days. One or two shoot days don’t need it.
  • Locking the script. Lock it when you want page and scene numbers to hold. See Locking the script.
  • Status Dashboard requests. Sizes and availability forms take longer to come back than a weekend allows.
  • Production reports. Useful later, not on a 48-hour clock.