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Free film templates · 31 templates · 5 stages
Free Film Templates for Every Stage of Production
31 filmmaking templates, from the logline you pitch to the poster you print. Each one has its own page with a free download and no sign-up. Want the whole set? Get all 31 in one zip from the Template Vault.
Built by Jay Neill, a Victoria BC filmmaker and the Nightcrawler stunt double on X2. Updated September 2026.
01 Develop · 11 templates →31
film templates, sorted by stage
fillable, in US Letter and A4
Docs, Sheets or Slides copies on most
$0
free download, no sign-up needed
Stage 01 · 11 templates
Develop Templates: Idea to Locked Script
Find the story, test it, write it, and get it read.
Logline
Your story in one sentence you can say out loud.
Use it: First, before you write a page
PDF · Word · Docs
Movie Synopsis
The whole story, beginning to end, on one page.
Use it: Right after the logline
Film Treatment
Characters, theme, tone and story in prose. Film, documentary and music video versions.
Use it: Before the first draft
PDF · Word · Docs
Beat Sheet
The 15 Save the Cat beats, with a page target for each.
Use it: While you outline
PDF · Excel · Sheets
Story Circle
Dan Harmon’s 8 steps: comfort, change, return.
Use it: While you outline
Hero’s Journey
Vogler’s 12 stages, one box for each.
Use it: While you outline
Three-Act Structure
Setup, confrontation, resolution and 5 turning points.
Use it: While you outline
Character Profile
Want, need, flaw, wound and voice for each lead.
Use it: Before and during drafts
Screenplay Template
Standard format with styles and shortcuts, plus a cheat sheet.
Use it: Every draft
Docs · Word · PDF
Script Coverage
An honest reader’s report that ends with a verdict.
Use it: When a draft is ready to read
PDF · Word · Docs
Pitch Deck and One Sheet
12 slides: story, look, team, budget and the ask. Plus a one-page one sheet.
Use it: When you ask for money or help
Slides · PowerPoint · PDF · Docs
Stage 02 · 7 templates
Prep Templates: Plan the Money, the Days and the Shots
Break the script down, then plan the budget, the schedule, the shots and the places.
Script Breakdown
Every cast member, prop and effect, scene by scene, color coded.
Use it: As soon as the script is locked
PDF · Excel · Sheets
Film Budget
Top sheet plus line-by-line detail, with contingency built in.
Use it: With the schedule
PDF · Excel · Sheets
Shooting Schedule
Scenes grouped by location and day, pages in eighths.
Use it: After the breakdown
PDF · Sheets
Shot List
Every setup with its size, angle, move and lens.
Use it: 2 to 3 weeks before the shoot
PDF · Sheets
Storyboard
Six 16:9 panels a page, plus animation, vertical and thumbnail sheets.
Use it: With the shot list
Location Scouting Checklist
Light, sound, power, access, safety and permission.
Use it: Before you book a location
PDF · Excel · Sheets
Crew and Cast Deal Memo
Rate, days, overtime and credit in writing.
Use it: When you hire each person
PDF · Word · Docs
Stage 03 · 3 templates
Release Forms: Permission in Writing
Get it signed before anyone steps in front of the camera.
Talent Release
Permission to film anyone recognizable. Minor release included.
Use it: With the script, a week before the shoot
Location Release
Dates, hours, fee and house rules for a location.
Use it: Right after the scout says yes
Photo and Video Release
Permission for the stills and BTS clips you’ll post.
Use it: Before any behind-the-scenes shoot
These are general templates, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review any release before you use it.
Free Filmmaking Template Vault
Rather have all 31 at once?
Shot lists, release forms, budgets, schedules and more, sorted into five stage folders in one zip. Free.
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Stage 04 · 7 templates
On Set Templates: Run Every Shoot Day
The paperwork that runs each shoot day and records what really happened.
Call Sheet
Who, where, when and what, on one page.
Use it: The night before every shoot day
PDF · Sheets
Daily Production Report
What got shot, when, by whom, and what went wrong.
Use it: At the end of every shoot day
PDF · Excel · Sheets
Cast List
Every actor, role, contact and work day.
Use it: Once roles are cast
PDF · Excel · Sheets
Prop List
Every prop, hero or background, and who has it.
Use it: 2 weeks before the shoot
PDF · Excel · Sheets
Camera Report
Takes, lenses, settings and circled takes.
Use it: Every card or roll, on set
Sound Report
Files, tracks, wild lines and room tone.
Use it: Every sound roll, on set
Script Supervisor Notes
The take log plus a continuity sheet, so your shots match.
Use it: Every setup, on set
Stage 05 · 3 templates
Release Templates: Put Your Film in Front of People
Make the poster, write about films like a critic, and study your own.
Movie Poster
A 27×40 layout with a billing block, in three print sizes.
Use it: Before festival submissions
PowerPoint · Slides · Canva · PDF
Movie Review
The 8-point formula for writing a review.
Use it: After a screening
Film Analysis Worksheet
A scene log, themes and an argument you can prove.
Use it: Any time you study a film, even your own
PDF · Word · Docs
Where to start
Not Sure Which Film Template You Need First?
Pick the line that sounds like you right now.
You have an idea
Start with the Logline
If you can’t say your film in one sentence, every page after it gets harder to write.
Your script is locked
Start with the Script Breakdown
It feeds the schedule, budget, cast list and prop list, so you type each detail once.
You shoot next week
Start with the Call Sheet
Send it the night before, and no later than 12 hours before call.
The Production Binder · $19
Want to See Every Template Filled In?
The free templates are blank. The Binder puts all 31 in shooting order, and follows each one with a worked example from Dead Air, a 14-minute short that runs from logline to poster.
30-day money-back guarantee
- One 155-page tabbed, fillable PDF
- A filled-in example after every template
- Linked Google Sheets: your breakdown fills the schedule and budget
- A prep-to-wrap guide and a printable binder kit
FAQ
Film Template Questions
Do I need Adobe Acrobat to fill in the PDFs?
No. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader works, and so does Preview on a Mac. Click a field, type, then save a copy for each production.
Are the release forms legally binding?
They’re general templates, not legal advice. Release laws change from state to state and country to country, so have a lawyer review any form before your shoot.
Letter or A4?
Most PDFs come in both US Letter and A4. Pick the size that matches the paper in your printer.
Free Filmmaking Template Vault
Get All 31 Film Templates in One Download
Five stage folders, fillable PDFs and a links sheet for every Google copy. What will your next film need first?
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