Attendance, shift and leave process for Film studios: call sheets, shooting days and turnaround
On a shoot, the day starts at call time and ends when the director says wrap. Recording both honestly is the base for fair daily pay and safe hours.
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Share your requirementsWhy attendance, shift and leave process matters in film studios
Shoot days are long and uneven. A morning call at six, a lunch pushed to three, a night scene that runs to four in the morning. The next call may be eight hours later, or less. Hours are noted in an assistant director's book or on a sheet nobody sees again. Crew believe they were underpaid, and the studio does not know the real hours.
A simple record changes this. The second assistant director notes call time, wrap time and meals for each unit, and the production office checks them against the call sheet. Rest between days is visible, and extra hours are settled weekly. Leave for permanent staff is planned around the shooting calendar.
How to set it up
1. Share the call sheet with a cut-off
Agree a time each day by which changes must be sent. Late changes are noted and handled by a rule.
2. Record arrival and wrap on set
The assistant director notes call time, meal breaks and wrap for each department. Keep the form to one page.
3. Check turnaround before the next call
Compare wrap with the next call, and shorten the call or move the crew if rest is too short. Drivers get special attention.
4. Settle extra hours weekly
The production office totals days and extra hours each week and shares with each crew member for confirmation.
5. Plan leave for permanent staff
Fix quiet periods for studio staff leave. See leave and shift planning for the approach.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Compare the call sheet and the assistant director's notes for three shoot days last month.
- Find the shortest rest between two shoot days on the last picture.
- Ask drivers how many hours they had before their last long drive.
- Check how long a crew member waited for a confirmed account of their extra hours.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach attendance, shift and leave process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Usually the assistant directors, with the production office checking. One person per unit, using the same sheet each day, keeps records consistent.
Agree a rule in the deal memo about standby days and hours, and record them. Ask a qualified professional about wages and standby.
They can note them, but the unit record should be the base. Share it daily or weekly so any gap is spotted and corrected quickly.