Shooting Day

A "shooting day" is the day on which a television programme or film is shot. On a shooting or filming day, everyone has to do their jobs as smoothly and efficiently as possible and adhere to a tight schedule. A number of elements have to come together on the day - location, the props , the filming team with all their equipment, the actors , the stylists - all these contributors help to ensure that filming runs smoothly and that the desired result is achieved at the end of the day. In the best case scenario, the filming runs like clockwork. Good preparation helps. However, many problems only become apparent on location and have to be resolved spontaneously. This means that shooting days are always exciting, but often stressful.

Option and booking for shoots

Optioning and booking models usually works as follows: In most cases, models for shoot days are first reserved by the client and listed on a shortlist . The final selection and firm booking only take place later. In this way, clients initially keep various model options open. An option expires at the latest with the start of the job, at which point the model is free again to be reserved or permanently booked by other clients.

Preparation is important

A typical day of filming begins with good planning the day before. In the best-case scenario, the location is well prepared, the lines have been rehearsed and the styling turns out as planned. The actors and all other participants have been  briefed. During filming, it is very often necessary to move locations , as a production rarely needs just one filming location. Moving from one location to another must be well coordinated and planned. Everything is packed up in a short space of time, then unpacked and set up again at another location.

How does a day of filming work?

A typical day of filming starts with setting up the equipment. After the actors have got dressed and put on their make-up , all the scheduled scenes are shot one after the other. At the end of the day, the equipment is dismantled again. If several days of filming are planned, the process is repeated every day. On set, production managers ensure that filming runs smoothly and in a structured manner. A daily schedule, also known as a callsheet, i.e. an overview of the day's schedule, provides information at all times about which shots and scenes are to take place in which order and what needs to be observed. This callsheet keeps the film crew constantly informed about the tasks of everyone involved.

What happens on a shooting day?

A day of filming lasts 8-10 hours on average, a half day is 4-5 hours. Not all members of the crew always work directly on set. For example, some of the set designers are already installing the next set or dismantling the previous one. The staff in the production office are always busy planning the schedules for the models in order to prepare for the upcoming shooting days.

Do you sometimes have to work overtime on filming days?

The time during which actors and models are present on a shoot beyond the agreed time is called overtime . Generally, a working time of 8-10 hours plus a one-hour break is contractually agreed for a shooting day. If there are delays and the shoot cannot be completed as planned, the overtime is paid on a pro rata basis. Overtime can rarely be completely avoided on shoots, as all processes can never be perfectly planned and executed. Labour law stipulates that a shooting day may only last longer than 12 hours in justified exceptional cases.

How should you behave during shoots?

To ensure that everything runs like clockwork on the day of the shoot, it is important that everyone involved observes the time slots and behaves exactly as planned. It is important to know when you have to be present. Not every filming location can be found straight away. A delay always costs time and money. Therefore, to be on the safe side, you will sometimes be given the digital coordinates or, if available, the locations of the car parks reserved for the film shoot. You will often also receive information about the rooms for costume rehearsals and make-up. It is important that you familiarise yourself with the instructions in advance.