Independent film productions and small crews

Every scene is a card on the shoot board, and each crew member sees their days. Releases are signed by email, and receipts are filed against the film.

A production works in one Magpie team. The producer plans the shoot, and the crew open what they need.

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Cold Harbour Films’ board for the shoot of Salt Lines: scenes waiting in Breakdown, three scenes scheduled for Wednesday with their due dates and To-dos, and the scenes already shot.

This combination of five Magpie areas fits a small film production.

Kanban Boards
Kanban Boards holds the shoot, one card for each scene.
Documents
Documents holds the call sheets, the treatment and the location notes.
Staff Scheduling
Staff Scheduling plans the crew's week by department.
E-Signatures
E-Signatures sends releases to actors and location owners to sign.
Expenses
Expenses files each receipt against the film, and pays back the crew.

Every scene is a card, and it moves from breakdown to shot.

Kanban Boards holds the shoot as cards in columns, such as Breakdown, Scheduled and Shot. Each scene's card has its notes, pictures and a due date.

A card can hold the To-dos each department owns. Cards move between columns by dragging, and each one keeps its comments.

Boards and cards in Kanban Boards

The call sheet is a document the whole crew can open.

Documents holds the production's writing: the treatment, the call sheets and the location notes. Headings, tables and lists lay out each shoot day.

A document can be shared by link, or with someone outside the team to review. It exports as PDF or DOCX for printing.

Writing in Documents

Cold Harbour Films’ call sheet for day 3 of Salt Lines in the Documents editor: the date, crew call, sunrise and weather, then the scenes and the calls for the day.

You plan the crew's week by department, and each person sees their own days.

Staff Scheduling plans the crew by department, such as camera, sound and art. You publish the week, and each person you invite sees their own shoot days.

An open shift shows a day you still need someone for. A qualification, such as a first-aid certificate, can carry its expiry date.

Planning shifts in Staff Scheduling

Cold Harbour Films’ crew week in Staff Scheduling: an open sound shift on Wednesday, then each person’s shoot days with their department and their hours for the week.

Actors and location owners sign their releases from an email.

E-Signatures sends a PDF for signature, with fields placed for each signer. A starter keeps your release with its fields. The next one needs only a name and an email.

Reminders go out every 3 or 7 days until it is signed. Each signer gets the signed PDF and a certificate of completion.

Starters in E-Signatures

Every receipt from the shoot is filed against the film.

Expenses records each purchase with its receipt, category and project. Receipts can wait in Receipt Inbox until someone enters their amounts.

Crew who paid out of pocket put their receipts on an expense report. An admin approves it, and you record when they were paid back.

Reimbursements and totals in Expenses

Cold Harbour Films’ expenses for Salt Lines, newest first: catering, equipment hire, props bought by a crew member and waiting to be reimbursed, and a location fee, each with its date, category and amount.

Four more areas cover shoot dates, the budget, the look and private papers.

Calendar
Calendar puts the shoot days, the scouts and the screening on the team's calendar.
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets holds the budget, with formulas such as XLOOKUP and FILTER.
Idea Boards
Idea Boards lays out the mood board and the references on one canvas.
Secure Files
Secure Files keeps signed contracts encrypted, in one person's account.

A shoot day goes from the breakdown to wrap.

  1. The breakdown

    Each scene is a card on the board.

  2. The crew

    You publish the week, and each person sees their days.

  3. The call sheet

    The day's call sheet is a document the crew opens.

  4. The releases

    Actors and location owners sign by email.

  5. The receipts

    The day's receipts are filed against the film.

  6. Wrap

    The day's scenes move to Shot.

Setting up takes four steps.

  1. Make a team for the production

    You invite your heads of department. Help: Create and manage a team.

  2. Build the shoot board

    You add a column for each stage and a card for each scene. Help: Track work with Kanban boards.

  3. Add your crew

    You add each person with their department, and invite them to see their days. Help: Add staff and invite them to see their shifts.

  4. Make a release starter

    You place the signer's fields on your release once. Help: Signing starters.

Plans

A production fits the Team plan. Crew you invite to see their shifts join the team, each taking a member place. A crew profile without an invitation takes none.

Prices are on the Pricing page.

Prices are on the Pricing page

Other filmmakers and creative groups have pages of their own.

Questions film productions ask

Can I plan the shoot scene by scene?

Yes. Each scene is a card on a Kanban board, in columns from Breakdown to Shot. A card has notes, pictures, a due date and To-dos.

Can the crew see when they are working?

Yes. You publish the week in Staff Scheduling. Each person you invite sees their own published days and hours. They can ask for a swap or time off.

Can I post a day I still need crew for?

Yes. An open shift shows the day, the hours and the department. Someone who can work in that department can take it.

Can I keep the crew's certificates on file?

Yes. A qualification, such as a first-aid certificate, is recorded with its expiry date. A shift that needs it is checked against it.

Can I write call sheets?

Yes. A call sheet is a document, with headings, tables and lists. The crew open it in the team, and it exports as PDF.

Can actors sign releases online?

Yes. E-Signatures sends the release PDF to each signer by email. They draw or type their signature. Everyone gets the signed PDF and a certificate of completion.

Can I reuse one release for every extra?

Yes. A starter keeps the release with its signer roles, fields and email. Each new request needs only the signer's name and email address.

Can crew claim back what they spent?

Yes. They put their receipts on an expense report for an admin to approve. You record when each one is paid back.

Can I see what we spent by category?

Yes. Reports total the spending by category, project, merchant and contact. Expenses export as a CSV file, or a ZIP with the receipts.

Can I keep the budget in Magpie?

Yes. A spreadsheet holds the budget, with formulas such as XLOOKUP and FILTER. You can bring a budget in from a CSV file.

Can I make a mood board?

Yes. An Idea Board holds pictures, notes and columns on one canvas. It exports as PNG or PDF.

Plan your next shoot in Magpie.

Create a Magpie account and make a team for the production.

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