Free Film Production Call Sheet Template for Word: Call Times, Nearest Hospital, Scene Schedule, Cast and Crew Calls

What's inside

The document has 2 pages. Each part below is a heading in the file, so you can jump to it from the Navigation Pane (View > Navigation Pane).

Part	What it covers	What you write
Call times	When the day starts and ends	Crew call, shooting call, estimated wrap
Day block	The essentials for everyone	Date, day count, key contacts, weather, sun times, meals, basecamp
Hospital	Where to go in an emergency	Name, address, phone, drive time, urgent care
Scene schedule	What is shot, in order	Scene, set, D/N, cast, pages, location, moves, total pages
Cast, crew and notes	Who is needed when	Pickup and makeup times, crew calls and phones, safety, parking, tomorrow’s plan

Before you start

Lock the next day’s schedule with the director and 1st AD; the call sheet follows it.
Check the forecast, sunrise and sunset, and anything else that changes the day (tides, permits, road closures).
Drive or map the route from set to the nearest emergency room and confirm it is open 24 hours.

Step-by-step guide

Set the call times
Type over the three large times. Crew call is when work starts; shooting call is when the first shot rolls.
Fill in the day block
Pick the date and weather, and type the day count, key contacts, sun times, meals and basecamp address.
Update the hospital box
Type the nearest emergency room, its address, phone and drive time, plus the nearest urgent care.
Build the scene schedule
One row per scene in shooting order, with a full-width row for each company move, and the total pages at the bottom.
Set cast and crew calls
Work back from each actor’s first scene to their makeup and pickup times; list crew departments with phone numbers.
Add notes and send
Add safety and logistics notes and tomorrow’s advance schedule, save as PDF and send the evening before.

Field and control map

Every content control and field in the document, in the order they appear. Gray-boxed fields in Word are the content controls.

Name	Type	Where	Value in the sample
Production header	Text	Header	“Low Tide”
Shoot day header	Text	Header	3
Total days header	Text	Header	5
Production	Text	Body	“Low Tide”, short film
Company	Text	Body	Driftwood Pictures
Crew call	Text	Body	6:30 AM
Shooting call	Text	Body	7:45 AM
Wrap	Text	Body	6:00 PM
Shoot date	Date picker	Body	November 14, 2026
Shoot day	Text	Body	3
Total days	Text	Body	5
Director	Text	Body	Ana Velasquez
Producer	Text	Body	Tom Reyes, (508) 555-0112
First AD	Text	Body	Kara Lin, (508) 555-0147
Weather	Dropdown	Body	Partly cloudy, 52°F / 61°F, wind 12 mph (Clear / Partly cloudy, 52°F / 61°F, wind 12 mph / Rain / Snow / Extreme heat)
Sun times	Text	Body	6:28 AM / 4:21 PM
Breakfast	Text	Body	6:00 AM at basecamp
Lunch	Text	Body	12:30 PM (6 hours after crew call)
Basecamp	Text	Body	Harbor Road lot, 14 Harbor Rd, Wellfleet, MA
Hospital	Text	Body	Cape Cod Hospital, 27 Park St, Hyannis, MA 02601, (508) 771-1800. About 35 minutes from set by Route 6 West. Nearest urgent care: Outer Cape Health Services, Wellfleet.
`{ PAGE }`	Field	Footer	1
`{ NUMPAGES }`	Field	Footer	2

Every field, control and style, explained

The code in each card is read straight from the .docx file (the XML Word stores, or the field code you see with Alt+F9), so it is exactly what the template contains.

Page X of YFooter

Page { PAGE } of { NUMPAGES }

The footer counts pages with two fields: PAGE is the current page and NUMPAGES is the total. Both recalculate when the document is printed, saved as PDF or scrolled in Print Layout.

Piece by piece

PAGE: The number of the page the field sits on.
NUMPAGES: The total number of pages in the document.

In the sample: Page 1 of 2 on the first page

How it is used: Nothing to do: add or delete pages and the numbers follow.

How to change it: Double-click the footer to edit the text around the fields. Insert > Page Number > Format Page Numbers sets the starting number.

Learn this: How to Set Up Pages in Word: Margins, Breaks, Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers →

Fill-in fields (plain text content controls)Gray-boxed fields

<w:sdtPr>
  <w:alias w:val="Production"/>
  <w:tag w:val="production"/>
  <w:text/>
</w:sdtPr>

Names, numbers and other details people change every time are plain text content controls. Click one and type: the text replaces the sample, keeps the formatting, and the field still shows its name when selected.

Piece by piece

<w:alias w:val="…"/>: The title shown on the control’s tab when you click it.
<w:tag w:val="…"/>: A machine-readable name, useful for mail merge or code.
<w:text/>: Plain text: one line, one format, so pasted text cannot break the layout.
<w:showingPlcHdr/>: Present when the field shows gray placeholder text instead of a value.

In the sample: Production = “Low Tide”, short film

How it is used: 18 in this template: Production header, Shoot day header, Total days header, Production, Company, Crew call, Shooting call, Wrap, Shoot day, Total days, Director, Producer, First AD, Sun times, Breakfast, Lunch, Basecamp, Hospital. Use Developer > Design Mode to see every control at once, or the Selection Pane to jump between them.

How to change it: Developer > Properties changes the title, tag and placeholder. To show the Developer tab: File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Developer.

Learn this: How to Create Fillable Forms with Content Controls in Word →

Date pickersDate fields

<w:sdtPr>
  <w:alias w:val="Shoot date"/>
  <w:tag w:val="shoot_date"/>
  <w:date w:fullDate="2026-11-14T00:00:00Z">
    <w:dateFormat w:val="MMMM d, yyyy"/>
    <w:lid w:val="en-US"/>
    <w:storeMappedDataAs w:val="dateTime"/>
    <w:calendar w:val="gregorian"/>
  </w:date>
</w:sdtPr>

Dates are date picker content controls: click the arrow to pick from a calendar, or type a date in any format and Word shows it as "November 2, 2026".

Piece by piece

w:fullDate: The stored date, independent of how it is shown.
<w:dateFormat w:val="MMMM d, yyyy"/>: Display format: full month name, day, four-digit year.
<w:lid w:val="en-US"/>: Language used for month names.
<w:storeMappedDataAs w:val="dateTime"/>: Stores a real date value if the control is mapped to data.

In the sample: Shoot date = November 14, 2026

How it is used: 1 in this template: Shoot date. Pick the date from the calendar so every date in the document has the same format.

How to change it: Developer > Properties > Display the date like this, for example d MMMM yyyy or yyyy-MM-dd.

Learn this: How to Create Fillable Forms with Content Controls in Word →

Dropdown listsStatus and choice fields

<w:sdtPr>
  <w:alias w:val="Weather"/>
  <w:tag w:val="weather"/>
  <w:dropDownList>
    <w:listItem w:displayText="Clear" w:value="Clear"/>
    <w:listItem w:displayText="Partly cloudy, 52°F / 61°F, wind 12 mph" w:value="Partly cloudy, 52°F / 61°F, wind 12 mph"/>
    <w:listItem w:displayText="Rain" w:value="Rain"/>
    <w:listItem w:displayText="Snow" w:value="Snow"/>
    <w:listItem w:displayText="Extreme heat" w:value="Extreme heat"/>
  </w:dropDownList>
</w:sdtPr>

Fields with a fixed set of answers are dropdown list content controls, so everyone uses the same words (useful when you search or count documents later).

Piece by piece

<w:dropDownList>: A list the reader must pick from (no free typing).
<w:listItem w:displayText="…" w:value="…"/>: One choice: the text shown and the value stored.

In the sample: Weather = Partly cloudy, 52°F / 61°F, wind 12 mph (Clear / Partly cloudy, 52°F / 61°F, wind 12 mph / Rain / Snow / Extreme heat)

How it is used: 1 in this template: Weather. Click the field and choose from the list.

How to change it: Developer > Properties > Add, Modify or Remove choices. Use a Combo Box instead if people need to type their own answer.

Learn this: How to Create Fillable Forms with Content Controls in Word →

Callout styleNotes, tips and warnings

<w:style w:type="paragraph" w:styleId="Callout">
  <w:name w:val="Callout"/>
  <w:basedOn w:val="Normal"/>
  <w:pPr>
    <w:pBdr>
      <w:left w:val="single" w:color="F2A93B" w:sz="24" w:space="8"/>
    </w:pBdr>
    <w:shd w:fill="EEF2F8" w:color="auto" w:val="clear"/>
    <w:spacing w:after="160" w:before="120"/>
    <w:ind w:left="180" w:right="180"/>
  </w:pPr>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:sz w:val="21"/>
  </w:rPr>
</w:style>

Notes and warnings use a paragraph style named Callout: tinted background, amber bar on the left, indented on both sides. Because it is a style, every callout matches and you can restyle them all at once.

Piece by piece

<w:shd w:fill="EEF2F8"/>: Light blue-gray background.
<w:left w:val="single" w:sz="24" w:color="F2A93B"/>: Amber bar, 3 pt wide, on the left edge.
<w:ind w:left="180" w:right="180"/>: Indented 1/8 inch on each side.

In the sample: Used for the notes, tips and warnings in the body.

How it is used: Put the cursor in a paragraph and pick Callout in the Styles gallery.

How to change it: Right-click Callout in the Styles gallery > Modify > Format > Border or Shading. All callouts change together.

Learn this: How to Use Styles and the Navigation Pane in Word →

Repeating table headersEvery table with a dark header row

<w:trPr>
  <w:cantSplit/>
  <w:tblHeader/>
</w:trPr>

Header rows are marked to repeat at the top of each page when a table breaks, and rows are set not to split across pages, so a long table stays readable when printed.

Piece by piece

<w:tblHeader/>: Repeat this row at the top of each page.
<w:cantSplit/>: Keep each row on one page.

In the sample: 3 of 5 tables repeat their header row

How it is used: Add rows with Tab in the last cell; the header keeps repeating.

How to change it: Click in the header row > Table Layout > Repeat Header Rows. Short tables are also set to keep with the next paragraph so they do not split.

Learn this: How to Build and Format Tables That Read Well in Word →

Sidebar with metric calloutsTwo-column layout

<w:style w:type="paragraph" w:styleId="MetricValue">
  <w:name w:val="Metric Value"/>
  <w:basedOn w:val="Normal"/>
  <w:next w:val="Normal"/>
  <w:pPr>
    <w:keepNext/>
    <w:spacing w:after="0" w:before="120" w:line="240" w:lineRule="auto"/>
  </w:pPr>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:b/>
    <w:color w:val="1E2A5A"/>
    <w:sz w:val="52"/>
  </w:rPr>
</w:style>

The page is a borderless two-column table: the story on the left and a shaded sidebar on the right. Big numbers use a Metric Value style and their labels a Metric Label style, so they line up and can be restyled together. A table keeps the sidebar next to the text in Word, Google Docs and PDF exports, which text boxes do not always do.

Piece by piece

<w:tblBorders> none: No visible borders, so it reads as a page layout, not a table.
<w:shd w:fill="EEF2F8"/>: Shaded sidebar cell.
Metric Value: 26 pt bold navy number, kept with its label.
Metric Label: Small gray label with a thin rule under it.

In the sample: Four metrics in the sidebar, each a Metric Value and a Metric Label paragraph.

How it is used: Click in the sidebar and type over a number or label. Show gridlines (Table Layout > View Gridlines) to see the columns while editing.

How to change it: Drag the column border to change widths, or change the sidebar shading under Table Design > Shading.

Learn this: How to Build and Format Tables That Read Well in Word →

Guidance notesGray italic notes

<w:style w:type="paragraph" w:styleId="Guidance">
  <w:name w:val="Guidance"/>
  <w:basedOn w:val="Normal"/>
  <w:pPr>
    <w:spacing w:after="100"/>
  </w:pPr>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:i/>
    <w:iCs/>
    <w:color w:val="6B7280"/>
    <w:sz w:val="19"/>
  </w:rPr>
</w:style>

Instructions for whoever fills in the template use a Guidance style (gray italics). Delete them before you send the document; with a style, Find and Replace can remove them all at once.

Piece by piece

<w:i/>: Italic.
<w:color w:val="6B7280"/>: Gray text.

In the sample: One note under the title block.

How it is used: Home > Replace > More > Format > Style > Guidance finds every note.

How to change it: Right-click Guidance in the Styles gallery > Modify.

Learn this: How to Use Styles and the Navigation Pane in Word →

Tips and limits

Plan lunch no later than six hours after crew call; many union and guild rules require it.
Page counts use eighths of a page (2 4/8), the standard script measure.
Put the hospital and any safety warning near the top so they are seen without scrolling.
Number cast the same way on every call sheet and in the scene schedule.
Mark the sheet “Confidential” and keep locations off social media.

Film and Video Production Call Sheet Template for Word

What you can do with it

What's inside

Before you start

Step-by-step guide

Set the call times

Fill in the day block

Update the hospital box

Build the scene schedule

Set cast and crew calls

Add notes and send

Field and control map

Every field, control and style, explained

Tips and limits

Learn the skills behind this template