Are you shooting for an upcoming film project? So, you’re probably worried about the breaking down of production elements such as scenes, activities, and schedules. Remember, scheduling happens during the pre-production, and it’s an essential process, so that crew members are aware of what’s happening. Whenever you want to start plotting your production schedules, you can quickly download our ready-made and 100% customizable Media Schedule Templates. These files are available in A4 and US Letter sizes, which you can instantly print and edit in compatible Microsoft Word files. Waste no time, and start meeting deadlines by downloading our templates now!
How to Create a Media Schedule in Word
A media schedule refers to the organized list of a plan that includes scheduling. In the film industry, it is a document that details the pre-production, production, and post-production plans and schedules. Media scheduling is an essential tool in every movie production. It includes the dates, scenes, crews involved, equipment, and other filming activities. Whether it is a no-budget to micro-budget film, this serves as an essential material to track progress and meet deadlines.
In this digital era, some audiences are more demanding when it comes to their experiences. Hence, the art of scheduling a film is becoming more complex in a way that you have to incorporate different elements to know how your film must go. With script reading down to shooting each scene, having to structurally plot each makes the work manageable and easy to take. But how do you create a media schedule? Below are some tips that you can follow.
1. Gather Information
Planning for Hollywood or Indie Films doesn’t happen in one day. Perhaps, it gets complicated than that. In the pre-production process, you have to gather all the necessary information to start structuring your media plans. This includes filming activities, equipment, and scheduling. But more than that, you have to understand the story to know how your project schedule will go. For example, you will determine how many scenes will be shot each day and how long the post-production will take.
2. Select a Template
Are you worried about starting on a blank sheet? You can start working on a ready-made template that you can also edit freely. There are a variety of media schedule templates you can choose from on this website. You can adjust the tables how you want it, depending on how many schedules and activities you need to plot.
3. Plot It Out
Look for a calendar and see how many scenes you can shoot for the week. Then, start plotting your schedules. Base it on the information you have gathered. The content must be well-organized, so you can begin plotting the most difficult scenes to take. If you are planning schedules for post-production, you can schedule it a week after the production. This is a critical process to see if there are scenes that need to be redone.
4. Avoid Complex Design
Create a simple schedule template. You can leave a space for the notes that you want to add in the future. But ensure to use a single typeface to have consistency and make the template readable for all the crew members. Avoid inserting images and too much designs to maintain its purpose. But you can add colors to separate different variables. To finish it up, add your logo and letterhead.
5. Print and Disseminate
Alright! Once everything is ready, it’s time to save your document and disseminate printed files. Print them on a clean sheet. Also, print copies that will be enough for your crew members and producers. Keep an MS Word file that you can go back to and edit in the future.