Estimating company moves and timing the call sheet

What a company move includes

A StudioBinder article defines a company move as the crew packing up equipment at one location (load out), moving to another location, then unloading and setting up again (load in). The same site's scheduling tutorial says a shooting schedule lists prep and shooting time, lunch, travel time for company moves, and time to load and unload equipment. The article above also recommends allowing for company moves realistically: you can send a breakout team ahead to prepare the next location, and actors who are not shooting at the previous location go straight to the next one instead of moving with the unit.

Broken down, a company move has four stages:

1. Wrap out: strike the lights, coil cables, pack the track, case everything and load the vehicles.
2. Travel: the drive, plus finding parking and unloading.
3. Carry in: from the vehicles to the shooting position, including waiting for lifts if it is upstairs.
4. Set up: lighting, camera, camera checks, art department dressing, actors' makeup touch-ups.

Count only stage 2, the drive, and the company move will always be short. The other three stages take time too.

What to measure on the recce

To estimate accurately, measure on the recce. Next time, note down:

• The drive between the two locations: check it at the same time of day as the shoot. Morning rush hour and midday can differ a lot.
• Parking and loading: where the vehicles park, how far that is from the shooting position, and whether there is a time limit.
• The carry route: stairs or not, how big the lift is, whether a goods lift can be used.
• Location limits: the earliest time you can get in, and the time you must be out by.

Put these in the recce notes, and the schedule rests on facts, not on memory.

Moves within one location count too

Going from the living room to the bedroom in the same flat still means relighting and clearing equipment out of frame. These small moves need no travel, but the setup time still counts. When ordering scenes, group the scenes in the same room with the same lighting direction to cut this time down.

Working out the call sheet from the first shot

With an estimated time for each scene and the company move times, you can work forward scene by scene from the first shot:

1. First shot: when the camera rolls on the first shot.
2. Add each scene's estimated minutes: the estimate includes lighting, rehearsal and shooting.
3. Add company move time when the location changes: none when consecutive scenes are on the same set.
4. Put lunch in around midday: between two scenes, never splitting one.
5. Work actors' calls backwards: from the start of that actor's first scene, subtract hair, makeup and wardrobe time.
6. Work crew calls further back: from the first shot, subtract the setup time each department needs; departments can arrive at different times.

The calculated times are a starting point, and the AD adjusts them from experience. If a scene has a fixed time (for example, the location is only available from 2 pm), that time applies and everything after it is recalculated from that scene.

How our tool works it out

The auto schedule option in our call sheet generator follows the method above: enter a first shot time and estimated minutes for each scene, and it works out when each scene rolls.

• When the set changes, it adds a company move, 30 minutes by default; consecutive scenes on the same set get none.
• If the day starts before the lunch window, it puts lunch, 60 minutes by default, between the first two scenes at or after the start of the lunch window (12:00 by default).
• Each actor's call is the start of their first scene minus makeup time, 60 minutes by default, and can be changed actor by actor.
• If a scene has no estimated minutes, the tool does not guess, and the scenes after it are not calculated.
• If you type a start time on a scene, everything is recalculated from that scene.

The defaults are only there to get you started. Change them to what you measured on the recce for results you can rely on.

Frequently asked questions

How long should we allow for a company move?

A StudioBinder article offers a rule of thumb: for a small crew with minimal gear, allow 30 minutes per location plus travel time; for an indie feature-sized crew, double it. That is the site's suggestion; adjust the real figure to the drive, parking and carry route you measured on the recce.

How many locations in a day is reasonable?

The more locations, the more time on the road. When scheduling, first add up how many hours the company moves take in total, then decide whether to move a location to another day.

How should actors' call times be set?

From the start of the actor's first scene, subtract the time needed for hair and makeup, wardrobe and blocking. If you only give them their on-camera time, makeup only starts when they arrive, and the whole crew waits.

References

1. StudioBinder, Load In and Load Out: www.studiobinder.com/blog/load-in-load-out-film-shooting-schedule/
2. StudioBinder, Intro to Scheduling: studiobinder.com/tutorials/breakdown/intro-to-scheduling

The pages above were accessed on 1 November 2026.

Published 1 November 2026.