Built around the order a 1st AD actually works in
The 1st AD's job is to turn a script into a plan and then defend that plan against reality every single day. The software most ADs use does not reflect that: the breakdown lives in one place, the stripboard in another, the call sheet in a third, and keeping them in agreement is a manual evening job at the end of a fourteen-hour day.
That reconciliation work is where errors enter. Not because ADs are careless — because the same information is being transcribed for the twentieth time when everyone is tired.
Here each document reads from the one before it. Change a scene's location and the breakdown, the stripboard, the Day Out of Days and tomorrow's call sheet all see it, because none of them holds its own separate copy.
The chain, in the order you build it
Each step reads from the one above rather than being re-entered.
- 01Script breakdown
Elements tagged from the locked screenplay — cast, props, vehicles, wardrobe, stunts, SFX. The whole-script inventory, so the same prop in scenes 4, 19 and 52 is recognised as one prop.
- 02Stripboard
Scenes ordered by location, cast and time of day. The generated order respects the obvious constraints; the judgement calls stay yours.
- 03Day Out of Days
Cast work, hold and travel days computed from the schedule — which is what turns a schedule into a number the budget can use.
- 04Call sheets
Generated from the locked schedule. Scene order, cast IDs, locations and page counts read from the same source, so day 4 agrees with the schedule it came from.
- 05Daily production reports
Scheduled against actual — scenes, pages, setups, times. An honest running picture of whether you are gaining or losing days while it can still be fixed.
What changes when the schedule moves
Schedules move constantly. Weather kills an exterior, a location falls through, an actor's availability shifts. The cost is rarely the reordering itself — it is the six other documents that quietly still describe the old plan, and the one you forget to update.
Because call sheets, DOOD and cast holds read from the schedule rather than holding their own copies, a change propagates. You spend the evening checking the day rather than retyping it.
Where this does not replace what you already use
If your production has to deliver Movie Magic files, we do not export them. That is a real constraint and it is worth knowing before you invest a weekend — the Movie Magic comparison sets out exactly where that line falls.
Multi-episode block shoots, cross-boards and sub-boards for two to four simultaneous units are also deeper in Movie Magic than here. For a single-unit feature this rarely matters; for episodic television it will.
There is no licensed union ratebook either. Cast and crew rates are regional bands, which is the right shape for independent and regional production and the wrong shape if you are budgeting against a specific union agreement.
Common questions
Do I have to start from the script?
No. If you already have a locked script, upload the .fdx or Fountain file and go straight to breakdown — that is the second entry point and the one most ADs use. Writing it here is optional.
Can I override the generated schedule?
Yes, and you should. The generated order respects location, cast and time-of-day constraints; it does not know which location you will lose first if you fall behind, or whose availability is genuinely immovable. That judgement is the job.
Does it export Movie Magic files?
No. Schedules and call sheets export to PDF and XLSX. If .mms or .mmb is a required deliverable on your production, that is a genuine gap on our side — see the Movie Magic comparison.
How do call sheets get distributed?
They export as print-ready PDFs formatted for A4 and Letter, so what your gaffer opens at 6am is the same document the office printed. Cast and crew can also view schedules and call sheets directly without taking up a paid seat.
What about conflict detection?
Cast conflicts across the schedule are surfaced through the DOOD. Detection across non-shooting events — fittings, rehearsals, travel — is deeper in Movie Magic today, and we would rather say so than imply parity.
Can more than one person work on the schedule?
Yes. Shared workspaces with role-based permissions mean a 1st AD, 2nd AD and production coordinator can work in the same project rather than emailing versions of a spreadsheet.
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