When Does A Detailed Schedule Really Count?

The answer is—Always! If you have made a film before, or been involved in filmmaking, then you know just how difficult it can be to orchestrate the wide variety of elements that go into the production of a film, and in particular, how complicated it is to create your detailed schedule. If however, you are a first time filmmaker it cannot be stressed enough how important an accurate shooting schedule is to the success of any production.

Coordinating the complex schedules of the actors, location restrictions, considering day vs. night, exterior vs. interior, and weather variables can all be a trying and tiresome process, but more often than not, lack of competency in planning for these things can cause big problems when it comes time to actually shooting and turning your script into cinematic gold.

In other words, while producing a film is hardly ever “smooth sailing”, a detailed shooting schedule, including making sure your actors and technical crew are available and that equipment and locations are rented for precisely as long as they need to be (no longer, no shorter), is critical for avoiding a train wreck when it comes time to shoot.

For example, if a shooting schedule can be worked so that all of an expensive actor’s scenes are shot consecutively, then you can bring in that actor for less time, and save money by not paying them for time where they aren’t actually on the set. However, this will often have a dramatic effect on the scheduling of your locations and many other elements. The art of quality scheduling is knowing how to balance all of these expensive variables. It is easy to see how paying attention to scheduling details like this can save you money and frustration in the long run.

Many producers and filmmakers do not realize that not only is a thorough shooting schedule a key factor in keeping production crises to a minimum, it is the distinction that can help make the most of your budget if it is done right, or cause you to waste thousands (or even millions of dollars) if done poorly. In order to create a complete shooting schedule that maximizes efficiency and minimizes costs, you need someone with considerable experience anticipating the myriad of real-world production problems, and a talent for creating a schedule the balances the matrix of issues created by cast availabilities, location permit restrictions, and story continuity issues amongst many other variables.

Film Budget Pro’s movie scheduling specialists have over 30 years of combined experience creating detailed shooting schedules. We work directly with you to create your Detailed Schedule, and we understand how to maximize the efficiency of each schedule, while at the same time, doing everything possible to minimize unnecessary spending on expensive locations, cast and crew overtime and complicated sequences; all with the goal of giving your director and cast the most amount of time possible to create magic on the set.

FILM BUDGET PRO ANECDOTE: One client came to us a week before they were set to begin filming with a Schedule that had to be completely revamped because they hadn’t anticipated a problem with one of their lead actor’s availability and they had already booked and began prepping a very expensive location. At first it appeared the only solutions were going to be extremely expensive overruns in location fees OR worst yet to have to re-cast one of the lead roles. This is where experience and creative filmmaking came into play. We designed a new schedule that incorporated building some of the interior sets on a stage and using backdrops for certain scenes. This solution solved the schedule quagmire of not having the actor and expensive location available at the same time.

We take pride in our attention to meticulous detail and our talent for foreseeing potential scheduling conflicts and avoiding them. Your Film Budget Pro Detailed Schedule will reflect your vision and present clear and concise roadmap for manifesting your creativity and exponentially increase your probability for creating a great film.

A Detailed Schedule is an essential part of creating your vision. Don’t trust this crucial task to anyone except the most experienced movie scheduling specialists. Complete our short Script Questionnaire and Contact Us today. We can create your create your Detailed Schedule and set you on your way to shooting the movie you have always wanted to. We love helping filmmakers succeed.