Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

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  • Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

    Out of curiosity, could anyone who has produced a script/had a script produced, give a rough estimate on how many eighths/pages are filmed per day?

    I was asking per genre because I imagine that dramas with lots of dialogue flow faster than action/fight scenes. Also, multi-camera TV episodes probably go a hell of a lot quicker than one-camera films... but it's also true that some directors shooting on sets have multiple cameras rigged up too.

    Anyway, just to give us an idea, could somebody (in the know) please answer?
    Cufk, Tish, Sips.

  • #2
    Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

    Funnily enough I was listening to an old Scriptnotes whilst walking this morning and they mentioned this. They said about 2.5-3 pages per day.
    My stuff

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    • #3
      Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

      For a thirty minute multi camera comedy, they can shoot an whole episode in a day or two.
      For a single camera one hour drama, they shoot anywhere from 2-4 pages a day based on how complex the scene is, how the actors do, and how many scenes are on location. And a full episode takes eight days to shoot.
      I'm guessing a movie would take longer unless it's a one location movie.

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      • #4
        Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

        It depends on the budget. For a complete answer to your question, you'd need to create a grid: columns of budget ranges, rows of genres.

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        • #5
          Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

          Depends on budget. My HBO stuff like STEEL SHARKS and CRASH DIVE were 18 day shoots - that's a minimum of 5 pages a day on films with submarine warfare. DROID GUNNER was shot in *9* days, with space ship battles and shoot outs and stuff. A studio film might shoot 60 days... an MOW will shoot 12-18 days.

          Oh, these were all single camera, 35mm.

          - Bill
          Free Script Tips:
          http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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          • #6
            Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

            WTF? 9 days?

            Wow, I had figured that the budget was determined by the shooting schedule, not vice versa, so a great eye-opener.

            So, for such a tighter shooting schedule, are storyboards shot-for-shot (i.e. characters talk, 180 degree reversal, C.U. on character A, back to first shot) or the usual scene setters?
            And I'm guessing that dolly tracks are kept to the mimimum?

            But, I'm going on too much now. Thanks for answering my question.
            Cufk, Tish, Sips.

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            • #7
              Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

              Originally posted by wcmartell View Post
              Depends on budget. My HBO stuff like STEEL SHARKS and CRASH DIVE were 18 day shoots - that's a minimum of 5 pages a day on films with submarine warfare. DROID GUNNER was shot in *9* days, with space ship battles and shoot outs and stuff. A studio film might shoot 60 days... an MOW will shoot 12-18 days.

              Oh, these were all single camera, 35mm.

              - Bill
              wow, i like your credits! you've worked with michael dudikoff, don the dragon wilson and gary busey. that's as awsome as it gets

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              • #8
                Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

                Originally posted by Grandmaster View Post
                Out of curiosity, could anyone who has produced a script/had a script produced, give a rough estimate on how many eighths/pages are filmed per day?
                I have plenty of LP, UPM, and 1st ad experience to chime in. Be wary of any studio filmed reference. Studio films are beyond critical budget mass. It's like asking Enzo Ferrari how to build a hay wagon. He'll find a way to spend 1,000 days and a billion dollars to do it. And at that point, who cares? You have a nice little chair with your name on it.

                First, you need to stop saying 1/8's. My schedules are in 1/8s but I have never-ever said 1/8s to anyone. I would laugh at anyone who did, to be honest. You measure your days by pages, but I just say we did "3 1/2 pages" or "4 pages". Your scripty/2nd AD will add all the exact page counts on the prod rpts. If you did 3 5/8, I would still say you did 3 1/2 pages. lol.

                But what do you want to know? Pacing per genre? How long it takes to shoot your script/scenes, thus giving you a budget estimate? Your curiosity is expanding. It's hard to answer exactly. Just forget about all of that 1/8s stuff. It's about "set-ups".

                You can have a 5-page scene shot with a one-banger and be done in an hour. Or you can shoot that same scene with eight shots and spend 3 days on it. I've been in all situations. Directors are different, and they change the variables. The shooting styles change with the director. I once worked with a director who shot every scene the same way. Many crap directors do it that way, or they let their DPs place their camera. I hate that. And it's all the same. Wides, meds, and tights. Blah, blah, blah. 5-8 pages a day. Easy. And a bad director can get you at 1/8 page. I can PM you a 1st time director's name who shot only 1/8 of a page on his first day. He was nuts.

                Daily page counts can be anywhere from 1 - 14 pages per day. My record as a 1st AD is 55 setups in one day. That's one "A" camera (35mm). That means we moved the camera 55 times for 55 shot angles in one day. That encompassed like 4 or 5 scenes, I think. Don't remember the pages. But I've shot up to 17-20 pages per day. Depends on the director and his/her shot list.

                That brings us to your budget because it does matter how you will shoot the film. The more people on set, the more time. So action and special effects translates to more people, more time, and more money. If you shoot with a skeleton crew, the page count can go up. It also depends on the director like I said before. For example, if you work with Kathryn Bigelow you'll shoot a 5-minute action scene very quickly. One day maybe. I know that. I worked with her on Point Break. She's friggin' awesome. But that same scene with Kevin Smith may take two days longer. (Well, K. Smith would probably get lost on the way to set, so add 3 more days for anything K Smith.)

                You can "time" your scripts if you wish to do so. You can just hire a freelance script supervisor to time it for you. They'll give you scene-by-scene running times before anything is shot or edited. But it may not give you a bearing on daily page counts. I always have scripty's "time" scripts so everyone has a reference.

                A rule of thumb is; slower cutting profiles will be shot much faster. The faster cutting profiles (suspense/action/sports) require more time to shoot. Moving the camera eats up a lot of the time, especially if you are wired (HD video). That's one reason why I am die hard dedicated to film origination.

                As a general rule, the faster your pacing, the longer it will take to shoot it. The slower the pacing requires less shots, and less production time to shoot. But like I said, one bad director can screw up everything. As an AD, my worst nightmares were the vanity directors. Ya know, the writer/directors or celebrity directors. It makes you realize after the 15th hour that directing is actually an important craft, and not just some giveaway role that it has become.

                I hope this helps. Cheers!
                Being a screenwriter is not enough for a full creative life. ~ William Goldman

                homeslice

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                • #9
                  Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

                  Interesting post, thanks for taking the time.

                  I started this thread using 1/8s instead of pages, because everything I've read goes on about measuring scripts by eighths, and even Final Draft breaks them down that way when adding scene numbers... so naturally, I was thinking it must be how the pro's schedule.
                  Cufk, Tish, Sips.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

                    From a screenwriting point of view, we tend to think in pages and half pages.

                    Todd's post is informative. From where I stand, I know that one page of action is more than a day. One page of a crowd scene is likely more than a day. One page that's a montage is likely more than a day.

                    Two pages of two people talking at a table could easily be half a day. And that's from a big budget studio perspective.

                    The things I know tend to take longer to shoot:

                    1. Action
                    2. Crowds
                    3. Cars (not green screen)
                    4. Entrances and exits
                    5. Guns
                    6. Stunts
                    7. Practical special effects
                    8. Busy locations

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                    • #11
                      Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

                      Originally posted by Grandmaster View Post
                      Interesting post, thanks for taking the time.

                      I started this thread using 1/8s instead of pages, because everything I've read goes on about measuring scripts by eighths, and even Final Draft breaks them down that way when adding scene numbers... so naturally, I was thinking it must be how the pro's schedule.
                      they still do go buy 1/8ths, at least on Tv. a scene could be 1 1/8ths pages long and etc. But I can see why movies would be structured different since they don't have as strict deadlines as TV shows.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

                        The best way to understand what's being filmed is be an background extra and take a peek at the sides (sample of a script).
                        "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

                        "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

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                        • #13
                          Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

                          Great post, ToddC.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

                            Originally posted by Craig Mazin View Post
                            The things I know tend to take longer to shoot:

                            1. Action
                            2. Crowds
                            3. Cars (not green screen)
                            4. Entrances and exits
                            5. Guns
                            6. Stunts
                            7. Practical special effects
                            8. Busy locations
                            Thanks. This actually breaks it down better than my request of per genre.
                            Cufk, Tish, Sips.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Approx. how many eighths shot per day, by genre?

                              I've worked on a good chunk of stuff in a variety of genres/mediums/budget ranges. As a sample:

                              -The Crazies was a 60 day shoot (it ran two weeks over), so roughly 2 pages per day.

                              -2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams shot for 12 days, so 8 pages per day.

                              -The episodes of Glee I've worked on shot 6-ish pages per day.

                              -Alexander Payne's Nebraska was a 35 day shoot, so about 3 pages per day

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