Template
Daily Production Report Template
The record of what actually happened, against what was planned. The DPR is how a production knows whether it is ahead or behind — and it is the document that settles disputes months later.
What is a daily production report?
A daily production report, or DPR, records what a production actually achieved on a shoot day — scenes and pages completed, setups shot, actual call and wrap times, meal breaks, overtime, and any incidents. It is compared against the schedule to track whether the production is ahead, on, or behind plan.
The template, field by field
Header and times
| Field | What it's for | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Production and day number | Day n of total, matching the call sheet and schedule. | Required |
| Date and location | Where the day actually shot, which is not always where it was scheduled. | Required |
| Crew call — scheduled vs actual | Both. The gap between them is the first sign of a day going wrong. | Required |
| First shot | When camera actually rolled. The single best measure of how efficiently the day started. | Required |
| Meal breaks | Start and end of each break. Late or missed meals trigger penalties on most agreements. | Required |
| Camera wrap and crew wrap | Both times, since they differ and turnaround is calculated from crew wrap. | Required |
| Total hours and overtime | Hours worked and any overtime incurred, per department where it differs. | Required |
Work completed
| Field | What it's for | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Scenes scheduled vs completed | What the call sheet said, and what actually got shot. | Required |
| Pages scheduled vs completed | In eighths. The primary progress metric across the production. | Required |
| Setups completed | Number of camera setups achieved, which often explains a page count better than the pages do. | Required |
| Scenes part-shot or dropped | Anything incomplete or pushed, which must be rescheduled. | Required |
| Running totals | Cumulative scenes and pages against the total, showing ahead or behind at a glance. | Required |
Cast, crew and incidents
| Field | What it's for | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Cast worked | Which cast IDs worked, held or travelled — reconciled against the Day Out of Days. | Required |
| Crew headcount | Total crew present, plus any additions or absences. | Optional |
| Background numbers | Extras actually used against those booked. | Optional |
| Accidents and incidents | Anything requiring first aid or a report. This is the field that matters legally. | Required |
| Equipment issues | Failures, damage or losses affecting the day. | Optional |
| Weather | Actual conditions, particularly where they affected the day. | Optional |
| Notes | Why the day went as it did. Written the same day, while it is still accurate. | Required |
How to complete a daily production report
- 1
Record times as they happen
Call, first shot, meals, wrap. Reconstructing times at the end of the day produces numbers that will not survive a payroll query.
- 2
Track scenes and pages against the call sheet
The comparison is the point. A DPR that only records what was shot, without what was planned, cannot tell you anything about progress.
- 3
Count setups as well as pages
Page count alone misleads. Two pages across eighteen setups is a much harder day than four pages across six.
- 4
Reconcile cast against the DOOD
Confirm who worked, held or travelled. This is what payroll pays from, and errors here are expensive and slow to unwind.
- 5
Log meal breaks precisely
Late or missed meals trigger penalties under most agreements. Vague times become disputes.
- 6
Record incidents immediately
Any injury, near miss or damage goes in the same day, in plain language. This is the field that matters if anything is ever contested.
- 7
Update the running totals
Cumulative pages and scenes against the total tell the producer whether the schedule still holds. Distribute the same day.
Hard-won tips
- Setups completed explains a day better than pages shot. Track both or you will misdiagnose why a day ran long.
- The gap between scheduled and actual first shot is the most diagnostic number on the report. Consistently late first shots point at a fixable process problem.
- Record incidents the same day, in plain language. Memory is not evidence.
- Reconcile cast status against the DOOD daily. Payroll errors compound and are painful to unwind weeks later.
- Distribute the DPR the same evening. A report nobody reads until Monday cannot change Friday's plan.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a DPR?
- A daily production report — the record of what a production actually achieved on a shoot day, compared against what was scheduled. It covers times, scenes and pages completed, cast worked, overtime and incidents.
- Who prepares the daily production report?
- Usually the 2nd Assistant Director or production coordinator, reviewed by the production manager or line producer before distribution.
- How is it different from a call sheet?
- A call sheet is the plan issued before the day. A DPR is the record produced after it. Comparing the two is how a production knows whether it is on schedule.
- Why does it track setups as well as pages?
- Page count alone is a poor measure of difficulty. Two pages across eighteen setups is a far harder day than four pages across six, and only the setup count reveals that.
- Who receives the DPR?
- Producers, the production manager, the line producer, and often financiers or completion bond representatives on larger productions.
- Why do meal break times matter so much?
- Most agreements impose penalties for late or missed meals. Imprecise times turn into payroll disputes, so they are recorded exactly.
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