Crew Call vs Shooting Call: Film Call Times Explained
A call time is when a person is due on set, and a call sheet carries several of them. Crew call, also called general or unit call, is when the whole crew is due to start the day. Shooting call is when the camera should roll on the first shot.
Also called: crew call · general crew call · unit call · shooting call · first shot
The times on a call sheet
Crew call is the general time the unit is due. Shooting call, sometimes written as first shot, is when the camera should be rolling, usually an hour or two later.
| Time | What it means |
|---|---|
| Crew call (general or unit call) | When the whole crew is due on set and the working day starts |
| Shooting call (first shot) | When the camera should roll on the first shot, usually one to two hours after crew call |
| Department call | An earlier or later time for one department, such as art, camera or hair and makeup |
| Cast call | When an actor is due, built back from their hair, makeup and wardrobe time |
| Pickup | When a driver collects someone, before their call |
| Meal | When lunch is called, usually about six hours after crew call |
| Estimated wrap | When the day is expected to end, which sets the next day’s turnaround |
Departments get earlier times when they need them. Art and set dressing often precede the crew call by hours. Camera might be thirty minutes ahead to unload. Cast times get built backwards from hair, makeup and wardrobe, so an actor with a two-hour makeup call comes in before almost everybody.
Why they are staggered
Calling everyone at 7am for a 9am first shot pays fifty people to stand in a car park. Calling nobody early means the set is unlit when the actors walk in. Getting the staggering right is most of what an AD is doing when the call sheet takes an hour longer than expected.
What breaks it
Turnaround. Most agreements set a minimum rest between wrap and the next call, commonly ten or twelve hours. A late wrap on Tuesday moves Wednesday’s crew call whether the schedule can absorb it or not, and the schedule usually cannot.
