Production preparation, from storyboard to shot list and from the day plan to the contingency plan.
Most of the time lost on a set comes not from problems that arise during the shoot but from questions that were not asked before it. A good shooting plan does not restrict creativity; on the contrary, it opens the room you need in order to be creative on set.
From script to shot list
A storyboard is not necessary for every job, but a shot list is. For each scene write down: shot number, framing (wide, mid, close), camera movement, lens, the actors in the scene and an estimated duration.
While you prepare the list, edit the scene in your head. If you have not written down the reverse you need for a cut, you will not shoot it either — and you will only notice in the edit.
Order the day by the set, not by the script
Scenes are not shot in script order. Everything happening in the same location is shot together, shots sharing the same lighting setup are grouped, and call times are arranged accordingly.
When building the day, do not spread the hardest and most critical shot across it — put it early. Energy and light both fade by the end of the day; the shot you care about most should not be left to that hour.
Realistic time estimates
The biggest mistake new crews make is underestimating time. One setup — light, camera, sound, rehearsal — takes between half an hour and an hour on its own. If you have twelve setups in a day, six hours are gone before any shooting.
A practical rule: multiply your estimate by 1.3. Nobody complains if you finish early.
Write the contingency plan down
Which interior you move to if it rains, which shots you cover if an actor is late, where a backup body comes from if the camera fails — these are not things to think about on set, they are things to write down beforehand.
Panic on set is another name for a missing plan.
Everyone works from the same document
The shot list, the day plan and the contact list should live in one file somewhere everyone can reach. In a last-minute change there has to be a single source of truth; if three versions are circulating, someone on set will certainly read the wrong one.
Let us talk about your project
Tell us what you want to make and we will map out the approach, timeline and budget frame together. To write directly: info@dframe.com.tr