Film Pre-production Template

The pre-production plan template is the central hub for your project. It includes the key parts of every great film plan: Your ideas, moodboard, storyboard, shot list, and call sheet. There are also checklists for your workflow and gear. Pre-production is a critical phase for laying the groundwork for a successful project and it ensures everyone involved can easily access what they need all in one place.

Once you have an initial concept for your film, the next step is to see how far you can take it. Brainstorming is a classic creative technique that helps you create lots of ideas in minutes. You can use it to explore:

• Plot: Main story, conflict, resolution.
• Characters: Personalities, arcs, relationships.
• Setting: Locations, atmosphere, creative use.
• Visuals: Style, iconic moments, motifs.
• Themes: Messages, subtext, resonance.
• Genre: Blend, emotional impact, tone.
• Techniques: Camera, effects, lighting.
• Sound: Ambience, music, emotion.

Start by writing the central concept for your film in the middle of the board. Next, spend 5 minutes adding ideas related to your concept.

Think about the characters, their relationships, the locations you could use, visual styles, and the topic's history. Finish by sorting the best ideas into groups. This gives you a strong foundation for your film.

A film moodboard is a great way to explore and communicate the visual style you want to achieve. It can help you visualize any aspect of your film. You might want to focus on lighting style, color, set designs or costumes. You can create a moodboard for each of these separately or mix them all into one board. There are no strict rules.

Drag in images from your computer and drop them onto the image placeholders on your moodboard. Then, use the built-in image library to add inspirational references. Finally, move and crop your images to communicate how you want to frame your shots.

Storyboards are a powerful way to visually organize the composition, action and look of a film before you start bringing it to life. As director, producer and screenwriter Martin Scorsese said, “The storyboard is the way to visualize the entire movie in advance.”

Traditionally, a storyboard would be created with analog sketches, but with a modern digital tool, you can use photography, animation, color and notes to highlight key characters, scenes and objects.

The best starting point is to break up the script or narrative you’ll be working from. Identify the key scenes and start to map them out on your storyboard.

Next, add images or sketches that represent each scene. These could simple sketches, photos or examples you've sourced online such as Shotdeck.

Finally, describe the scene. Think about the style, mood, and behavior of characters. Consider how the camera will move through the shot and how you'll transition from one scene to the next.

Coordinating a shoot can be stressful and costly, especially if that critical shot is missed on the day. But a clearly defined shot list will make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

A shot list is a simple checklist of each shot (or scene) you need to capture on the day of a shoot. It usually contains a list of specific shots, some visual references and extra details like camera angles or lighting set-up so you don't forget a thing.

Start by adding reference images or sketches for the scenes you’re planning to shoot. This will make your shot list easy to scan.

Next fill in the checklists for each individual shot you want to capture during filming. Finally, add any specific details about how you'll film on the day. These might be reminders about the tone, mood, composition, or how the camera should move through the scene

A call sheet is used to share information with your crew and make sure everyone is prepared and on schedule. This template helps you easily communicate the shoot location, key contacts, arrival time and schedule. Share it with your team ahead of your shoot so everyone can come prepared.

The call sheet is primarily pieces of information you want to share with everyone on the film crew, so start by providing a little background on the shoot. Add the location of the shoot, and any details that will help people arrive safely and on time. List your talent for the scenes being shot that day and the crew involved along with their contact details.

Finally, fill in the schedule—specifically the general crew call time. The general crew call time is when everyone needs to arrive on location. Under this, add the key events for the day so everyone can clearly see what's on and when. Don't forget lunch!