Free Daily Production Report Template (PDF and Google Sheets) With an Example
The call sheet says what should happen tomorrow. The daily production report says what actually happened today. This free daily production report template gives you a fillable two-page PDF and a Google Sheet that does the math for you, plus a filled-in example from a real shoot day on our made-up short film, Dead Air.
TL;DR: Write It Before You Go Home
Fill in a daily production report at the end of every shoot day. Log the call and wrap times, the scenes and pages you shot, the setups, the cast hours, the media and anything that went wrong. The 1st AD or 2nd AD prepares it, and the producer signs off. Send it out that night, while everyone still remembers the details.
Download the Free Daily Production Report Template
The PDF is a fillable two-page daily production report. The Google Sheet and Excel file do the math for you: pages in eighths, to-date totals, overtime and cast hours. Each has a blank tab and the Dead Air example.
What Is a Daily Production Report?
A daily production report (DPR) is the official record of one shoot day. It’s usually put together by an assistant director, a script supervisor or a paperwork PA, according to Wikipedia.
- What goes in: times, scenes and pages shot, setups, screen time, cast work times and meals, camera and sound media, delays, injuries and equipment problems
- Where the numbers come from: the script supervisor’s notes, the camera and sound reports, and the AD’s own log
- Who reads it: the producer, the unit production manager, and on studio films, the studio executives
- Why it matters: it drives payroll and overtime, backs up insurance claims, and becomes a permanent record of the production
On a studio film, the DPR is a legal document. On your short film, it’s the page that tells you on Day 2 whether you can still finish on Day 3.
Call Sheet vs Production Report
| Call sheet | Daily production report | |
|---|---|---|
| When | The night before | The night after |
| Tells you | What’s planned | What really happened |
| Written by | 2nd AD, approved by 1st AD | AD or paperwork PA, signed by the producer |
| Goes to | Everyone on the shoot | Producer, UPM, studio or financier |
| Key numbers | Call times, scenes, cast | Pages shot, setups, hours, overtime |
Plan the day with our call sheet template and shooting schedule template. Then record what happened here.
What’s in the Daily Production Report Template
- Page 1: production, date, shoot day, key crew, location and weather. Then times (crew call to last person out), a progress table for scenes, pages, screen time and setups, a scenes shot today table, and camera and sound media
- Page 2: a cast times table with status codes, meal penalties and crew overtime, five boxes for delays, unfinished scenes, injuries, equipment and notes, then sign-off
- Google Sheet: the same report with the math built in. It counts completed scenes, adds up pages in eighths, works out the to-date and remaining numbers, shows how far camera wrap ran over, and calculates each actor’s hours minus meal time
Daily Production Report Example: Dead Air, Day 1
Here’s Day 1 of Dead Air, a 13-page short about a late-night radio host. It matches our shooting schedule, call sheet and cast list.
- The progress table shows the real story. Three scenes were scheduled. Two were finished. The crew shot 2 6/8 pages of the planned 3.
- The unfinished scene has a plan. The last 2/8 page of scene 10 moves to the reserve day, same apartment, with both actors on hold.
- The delay has a reason and a number. Blacking out six windows instead of four cost 40 minutes. Next time, the art department scouts the windows.
- Overtime is spelled out. Camera wrapped at 5:40 PM, 10 minutes past the scheduled 5:30 PM. That’s 10 minutes of overtime for camera, grip and electric.
- The small stuff is on the record. A failed LED panel, a neighbor’s noise complaint, and the rental credit to chase.
Keep a running total from Day 1.
Copy yesterday’s “to date” numbers into today’s “before today” column before you do anything else.
By lunch on Day 2, you’ll know if the schedule is slipping.
How to Fill Out a Daily Production Report
- Log the times as they happen. Crew call, first shot, lunch out and in, camera wrap and last person out. Don’t rebuild them from memory at night.
- Get the numbers from the source. Pages, setups and screen time come from the script supervisor. Card and roll numbers come from the camera and sound reports.
- Fill in the progress table. Before today plus today equals to date. Script total minus to date equals remaining.
- Record every actor’s times. Call, on set, meal out, meal in and wrap, with a status code like SW (start work) or WF (work finish).
- Write down what went wrong. Delays, injuries, broken gear and missed scenes, with times and reasons.
- Get it signed and sent. The person who prepared it signs, then the producer or UPM approves it.
Famous Production Report Story: Jaws
Jaws was scheduled for 55 days of shooting. Principal photography began on May 2, 1974, and didn’t wrap until October 6, which made it a 159-day shoot, according to Wikipedia). The budget grew from $3.5 million to about $9 million.
The mechanical sharks kept failing. Salt water got into the hoses, the frames cracked and the skin corroded. The crew started calling the film “Flaws.” Spielberg later said he thought his career was over, since no one had taken a film 100 days over schedule.
On a studio film like Jaws, each of those days goes into a production report, and the reports show the studio exactly how far behind the shoot has fallen. That’s the job of a DPR. It doesn’t make the day go better, but it makes sure nobody can pretend it went fine.
Write down what went wrong, even when it’s embarrassing.
A delay with a reason gets fixed.
A delay that’s left off the report happens again tomorrow.
Once the day is logged, check tomorrow against your script breakdown and your film budget. If crew or cast went into overtime, their deal memo tells you what you owe.
FAQs About Daily Production Reports
Do I Need a Daily Production Report for a No-budget Short?
It helps. Even a one-page version tells you whether you’re on schedule, and it gives you proof of hours and incidents if a crew member, a location or an insurer asks questions later.
What Is an Exhibit G?
It’s the SAG-AFTRA performers’ production time report. Principal performers sign it to confirm their work times and meal periods, and it’s attached to the DPR on union shoots.
Can I Make a Daily Production Report in Excel?
Yes. The Google Sheet version of this template also opens in Excel. The formulas for pages, to-date totals and cast hours work in both.
Should I Send the DPR to the Whole Crew?
Usually not. It goes to the producer, the UPM and whoever is paying for the film. Department heads can see the parts that affect them.
The Final Cut on the Daily Production Report
The daily production report is the one piece of paperwork that tells the truth about your shoot.
Download the template, fill it in before you leave set, and carry the totals forward every day.
What would your last shoot’s report have said about Day 1?
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.