Pre-production is the six to eight weeks between a locked script and the first shoot day, and the order matters more than the list. Lock the script, break it down, budget it, cast it, find the locations, file the permits, book the gear, tech scout, lock the schedule, send the first call sheet. Below is that order as a week-by-week checklist, counting backwards from day one, with what each week is for.
Why the order matters
Almost every pre-production task depends on an earlier one. You cannot schedule scenes you have not broken down, cannot budget days you have not scheduled, cannot book locations for a shoot whose length you do not know. Do the steps out of order and you do them twice.
The eight-week checklist
This is the plan we use for Nightfall, an 18-day indie feature. Shorten it for a short film by compressing weeks -8 to -5 into two; do not shorten the last three weeks, they are the same length for any shoot.
Week -8Lock and break down
- Lock the shooting script and freeze scene numbers
- Script breakdown: every scene, every element, pages in eighths
- Cast list numbered
- First-pass schedule to find the day count
Week -7Budget and key hires
- First-pass budget priced to local rates, contingency included
- Hire the 1st AD, line producer or coordinator, DP
- Casting breakdown out; begin casting
- Open a production bank account and a payroll or contractor process
Week -6Cast and locations
- Principal cast offers out
- Location scouts for every set in the script
- Production designer and sound mixer hired
- Insurance quotes requested
Week -5Confirm and file
- Cast confirmed; deal memos signed; day out of days drawn
- Location agreements signed with the owner, not the manager
- Permits filed (some take three weeks or more)
- Remaining crew hired; crew contact list started
Week -4Book the gear
- Camera, lighting, grip, and sound packages booked
- Insurance bound; certificates sent to locations and rental houses
- Art department build and props sourcing begin
- Second-pass schedule with confirmed cast availability
Week -3Rehearse and prep
- Rehearsals and readings
- Wardrobe fittings; hair and makeup tests
- Shot list with the DP, scene by scene
- Catering booked; transport and parking planned per location
Week -2Tech scout
- Tech scout every location with all department heads
- Fix what the scout finds: power, access, sound, safety
- Stunt, armorer, or special equipment confirmed where needed
- Crew contact list complete; crew info forms returned
Week -1Lock and send
- Final shooting schedule locked
- Gear pickup and camera test
- Day 1 call sheet out by 18:00 the evening before
- Post-production plan: editor, drives, backup routine, mix and grade booked
Week -8: Lock and break down
Lock the script. Not “finish” it; lock it, meaning scene numbers stop changing and any further change is a formal revision. Then break it down scene by scene. The breakdown is the input to everything in the next seven weeks; our breakdown guide covers it step by step. A first-pass schedule at the end of this week tells you the most important number in the budget: how many shoot days.
Weeks -7 and -6: Budget, hires, cast, locations
With a day count, you can budget. Price crew and locations to the city you are shooting in (see day rates), put 10 percent contingency in, and hire the people who will do the rest of pre-production with you: the 1st AD, a line producer or coordinator, and the DP. Cast offers and location scouts run in parallel through week -6. Scout at the time of day you plan to shoot, and listen as much as you look.
Weeks -5 and -4: Confirm, file, book
This is where lead times bite. Signed cast means you can draw the day out of days and see the holds. Signed location agreements mean you can file permits, and some permits take three weeks. Bound insurance means certificates can go to every location and rental house that asks for one, which is all of them. Book the camera, lighting, grip, and sound packages for the locked day count, not the hoped-for one.
Week -3: Rehearse and prep
Rehearsals and readings, fittings, hair and makeup tests, and the shot list with the DP, scene by scene. The shot list is where the schedule gets its first reality check: a scene planned at six setups is a half-day, whatever its page count says. Book catering and plan transport and parking for each location now, while there is time to change a location that has no parking.
Week -2: Tech scout
Every department head, every location, one day. Where does the camera go, where do the lights go, where is the power, where is holding, where do the trucks park, what does sound hear, what is unsafe. The tech scout is the cheapest day of the whole production and the one that saves the most money, because every problem found on it costs an email to fix and every problem found on the shoot day costs hours of a full crew. Leave the rest of the week to fix what it finds.
Week -1: Lock and send
Lock the shooting schedule. It has survived the tech scout and confirmed cast availability, so it can be trusted. Pick up the gear and test the camera. Send the Day 1 call sheet by 18:00 the evening before. And make the post-production plan now, while there is money and attention: editor, drives and a backup routine, mix and grade booked. Post planned in week -1 gets finished; post planned in the edit gets delayed.
How to run the checklist
- One owner per task. “Locations, in progress” belongs to nobody. “Diner agreement signed by Apr 17, B. Ruiz” gets done.
- Four statuses only: not started, in progress, done, blocked. Blocked is the one to ask about in the weekly meeting.
- Weekly review with department heads, ten minutes, same time every week. Red on Monday is a plan; red on Friday is a problem.
- Keep it in one place that everyone can read and one person edits.
Our free pre-production schedule template has this list with owners, due dates, and statuses, filled in for Nightfall:
| Week | Due | Task | Department | Owner | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk -8 | 2026-03-17 | Lock shooting script | Production | J. Ellison | Done | v4 locked |
| Wk -8 | 2026-03-20 | Script breakdown complete | Production | S. Moreau | Done | |
| Wk -7 | 2026-03-27 | First-pass budget | Production | R. Kaplan | Done | Local rates confirmed |
| Wk -6 | 2026-04-03 | Principal cast offers out | Casting | R. Kaplan | Done | Maya, Reyes, Okafor |
| Wk -6 | 2026-04-05 | Location scout — diner, market, rooftop | Locations | B. Ruiz | Done | |
| Wk -5 | 2026-04-10 | Cast confirmed; contracts signed | Casting | R. Kaplan | In progress | Suspect pending |
| Wk -4 | 2026-04-17 | Location agreements + permits filed | Locations | B. Ruiz | In progress | Market permit 2 wks |
| Wk -3 | 2026-04-24 | Camera / lighting package booked | Camera | A. Kimura | Not started | |
| Wk -2 | 2026-05-01 | Tech scout (all HODs) | Production | S. Moreau | Not started | |
| Wk -2 | 2026-05-02 | Insurance bound; COIs to locations | Production | R. Kaplan | Not started | |
| Wk -1 | 2026-05-08 | Final shooting schedule locked | Production | S. Moreau | Not started | |
| Wk -1 | 2026-05-11 | Day 1 call sheet out | Production | S. Moreau | Not started | By 18:00 |
- Week:
- Weeks before day one. Negative numbers keep the sheet honest about how little time is left.
- Status:
- Not started / In progress / Done / Blocked. Nothing else — you want it scannable.
Frequently asked questions
How long should pre-production be for an indie feature?
Six to eight weeks of real, focused pre-production is realistic for a low-budget feature with a small team. Studio features take months. A short can be done in three to four weeks if the locations are already known.
What is the first thing to do in pre-production?
Lock the script. Everything else, the breakdown, the schedule, the budget, casting, and locations, is built from it. Starting anything before the script is locked means doing it twice.
What is a tech scout?
A visit to each location with every department head, about two weeks before the shoot, to plan where the camera, lights, sound, trucks, and holding go. It is where you find out the rooftop has no power.
When should the shooting schedule be locked?
About a week before day one, after the tech scout and after cast availability is confirmed. Locking earlier means re-locking; locking later means call sheets built on a moving target.
What gets forgotten most often in pre-production?
Insurance certificates for locations, permits with long lead times, and post-production planning. All three are cheap to do early and expensive to do late.