How Film Scripts are Scheduled and Shot

(including an example of a real shooting schedule)

Hello, paid subscribers!

I’m now back in Los Angeles after spending three weeks in Atlanta directing and producing my latest film for Lifetime Network. It’s been a while since I’ve published a post here on Substack and I want to apologize for that. For those of you that have stuck with me during my absence, I appreciate you!

Me, on the set of ‘12 Days of Giving’ a few years back.

As you know, I routinely write about the craft and business of screenwriting as well as creativity. Since I’m still deep in post on this film as well as the one I shot in July, I figured I’d take you on a little tour of how movies are made and how that affects the writing of screenplays.

The first thing I want to emphasize, and I have discussed in past posts is that when you write a screenplay, you’re writing for two distinct audiences: the reader of the screenplay and the viewer of the movie.

The reader of the screenplay will be producers, agents, managers, potential and secured cast members, crew, network execs…