Understanding TimeSheets

Updated on 21st August 2024

So, you’ve made it to a film set, bright lights, cameras rolling, the smell of fresh coffee in the air, the jaded comments from the seasoned Unit Manager and the ever-present hope that someone famous might actually remember your name. But wait, before the glamour fully takes hold, there's a vital part of production life that you simply must get to grips with: the legendary Time Sheet.

What are they, you ask? Well, it's not some futuristic, time-traveling device (although wouldn’t that be handy for those 4 AM call times?). No, a time sheet is a little more grounded than that. In essence, it's how cast and crew document their hours on set. It tracks the exact time you start and finish work, because let’s be honest, when you've been shooting a scene for 12 hours, nobody’s going to trust your memory on when you started. (Little tip, write it in your phone's notes, I personally send a message to my wife saying "We've wrapped" to keep track of when I've wrapped)

Time sheets are essential for payroll. They ensure you’re paid for every hard-earned minute you spend under the scorching studio lights or trudging through the mud on location. This is how you ensure you’re compensated for that extra hour the director spent filming one more take, just to make sure the tear fell at the perfect angle and while you'd think filling out a time card is straightforward (arrive, sign in, sign out), beware, it’s a little more complicated than that. With overtime rules, and "grace periods," it’s practically an Olympic sport in paperwork.

The Hidden Drama Here’s where the real excitement comes in, the time sheet is a treasure map of sorts, pointing to who was late, who left early, and who managed to sneak out during the lunch break that wasn’t officially over yet. If you think reality shows are dramatic, wait until you see the time sheets on a chaotic shoot and of course, no two productions will ever have the exact same process for filling them out. It’s a rite of passage to fumble through your first one.

Two of the main software commonly used are CrewStart (from Sargent Disc) and Team Engine. Of course, these come with a price: yet another set of logins to remember! When you first start a job, you’ll usually receive an invite to join the production on one of these platforms. Occasionally, you’ll need to complete your own time card, unless your Head of Department is feeling particularly generous and hands the task over to their assistants.

Time Sheet Break Down

Use this to indicate which meal you’re claiming reimbursement for. Abbreviate as follows:

• B – Breakfast
• L – Lunch
• S – Supper
• B + L – Breakfast and Lunch, etc.

Meal allowances can only be claimed when:

(When you’re with the shoot): The crew has a lunch break (1 hour on a standard working day) but you’re unable to stop working (a ‘broken lunch’).

(When you’re ahead or behind the shoot): If you’re working at a location without catering provisions. (Note: meals cannot be claimed before filming starts or after filming finishes.)

In cases of a ‘broken meal,’ you’ll need to buy/hunt/steal/pilfer/MacGyver your own food.

Supper can only be claimed if you go into overtime and a meal is not provided.

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Abbreviations to know!

STANDARD WORKING DAY (SWD): A Standard Working Day includes a 1-hour unpaid lunch break and typically runs for 12 hours, though the exact length will be outlined in your contract (if you’re lucky enough to get one!). For example, on a shoot running from 08:00 to 20:00, the lunch break would be from 13:00 to 14:00, about 5 hours into the day. During this time, all filming ceases so everyone can have a proper rest.

SEMI-CONTINUOUS DAY (SCD): A Semi-Continuous Day allows the crew to take staggered lunch breaks, meaning work can carry on without a full stop. The crew is given a 30-minute unpaid break, taken over a two-hour window, allowing for rotations to keep stations manned. For example, with shoot hours from 08:00 to 19:00, lunch breaks would be staggered between 12:00 and 14:00, about 4 hours into the day, while filming continues uninterrupted.

CONTINUOUS WORKING DAY (CWD): On a Continuous Working Day, there is no formal lunch break at all. The crew is expected to eat while working, typically during short pauses between takes. This type of day usually lasts 10 hours, after which overtime begins. There is no requirement for a mandatory rest period. For example, with shoot hours from 08:00 to 18:00, crew members will need to grab their meals when they can, and filming will continue all day without stopping. Expect a lot of multitasking (and potentially cold sandwiches).

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CONTRACTS AND OVERTIME EXPECTATIONS: A BIT OF FINE PRINT

Contracts can vary when it comes to overtime, with some roles having overtime ‘expected’ as part of the job. In the Location Department, a lot of the early morning and evening work is considered part of 'making ready' or 'making safe.' As a result, location contracts often include a block of unpaid time at the start and end of each day, usually between 30 and 45 minutes, known as ‘Prep & Wrap.’ This isn’t exclusive to Location teams—Hair & Make-up, Assistant Directors, and other departments have similar arrangements.

This means you’ll have to work extra time at the beginning and end of your day before you start accruing any overtime. If you’re unsure about the exact timings for ‘Prep & Wrap,’ always ask the Location Assistant or your immediate superior.

For example:

• On a shooting day with hours from 0800 to 1800 (a continuous day), the Location Department would typically need to work from 0730 to 1830 before the overtime clock starts ticking.
• On a shooting day running from 0800 to 2000 (a standard working day), you’d be required to work from 0730 to 2030 before overtime kicks in.

Anything outside of these standard working hours is considered overtime.

So, for instance:

• If you work from 0700 to 2100 on a day scheduled from 0800 to 2000, you’d have accrued 1 hour of overtime.
• If you work the same hours on a day scheduled from 0800 to 1800, you’d have racked up 3 hours of overtime.

Best to keep an eye on the clock—those extra hours do add up!

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Broken Turnaround is a union-mandated payment to compensate for the loss of rest time between consecutive working days. The minimum rest period a production must allow between the end of one working day and the start of the next is 11 hours. Note: this is not measured from the end of the standard working day, but from the moment you actually stop working—i.e., when you physically leave the premises.

How does it work? Simply count the hours between when you left set and when you’re called back to work the next day. If this period is less than 11 hours, you’ve accrued Broken Turnaround, which is typically paid in increments of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour. Check your contract for the specific details on how your production handles Broken Turnaround payments.

Example scenarios:

• If you finish work at 21:00 and are called in for 08:00 the next day, you will not break turnaround, as there’s an 11-hour rest period.
• If you finish work at 21:00 but are called in for 07:00, you will accrue 1 hour of Broken Turnaround, as there’s only a 10-hour rest period.
• If you finish at 21:00 and are called in for 06:00, you will accrue 2 hours of Broken Turnaround, since the rest period is only 9 hours.

Recording Broken Turnaround: You should record any Broken Turnaround on the timesheet for the night it occurs. For example, if you break turnaround between Monday and Tuesday, you’ll log the hours in Monday’s “Other” box. You can abbreviate this on the timesheet as ‘1 BT’, ‘2 BT’, etc., depending on how much turnaround time has been broken.

So, make sure to keep an eye on those hours—nobody likes having their beauty sleep cut short without a little compensation!

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Camera Overtime refers to the overtime earned when the crew must continue shooting beyond scheduled hours, and it’s typically paid at a higher rate than basic overtime or ‘Off-Camera Overtime’. This is why it’s calculated separately from standard or ‘Other’ Overtime.

Let’s say the shoot day is scheduled from 08:00 to 18:00, but the camera keeps rolling until 19:00—this means you’ve earned 1 hour of Camera Overtime. It's important to note that Camera Overtime does not take into account prep and wrap times, which are handled separately.

Here’s how it works:

If the standard working day is 08:00 to 18:00, and you’re required to give 30 minutes either side of that for prep and wrap, your workday becomes:

• Locations Standard Working Day: 07:30 to 18:30.

Now, if the camera keeps rolling until 19:00 and you’re working from 07:00 to 21:00 (with the extra hours for prep and wrap), you’ll earn:

1. 1 hour of Camera Overtime from 18:00 to 19:00, as this is purely shooting time.
2. 2 hours of ‘Other’ Overtime:
   • 30 minutes of prep time (07:00 to 07:30).
   • 90 minutes of wrap time (19:30 to 21:00).

In total, you’ve worked extra hours on both ends of the day, but only the time spent while the camera is rolling qualifies for the higher-paid Camera Overtime. The rest is classified as Other Overtime, which covers non-shooting tasks.

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TURNAROUND DAYS

If you’ve worked on a night shoot, you’re entitled to what’s called a ‘Turnaround Day’ from the production. Essentially, this is a paid rest day, designed to give your body the chance to recover from the strain of working through the night and to reset your sleep cycle.

Night shoots can be incredibly demanding, throwing off your natural rhythm and leaving you feeling like a zombie in daylight hours (no, this isn't a method acting gig). The Turnaround Day ensures that you have time to readjust and return to a normal daily routine without sacrificing your health, or your sanity! Productions recognise that it’s important for cast and crew to be well-rested and ready to work safely and efficiently on future shoots.

It’s also worth noting that a Turnaround Day isn’t just a courtesy—it’s a legal requirement under most industry agreements, designed to prevent burnout and ensure that the hard-working crew have time to properly rest between intense night shifts and upcoming workdays. So, enjoy it, sleep in, and take full advantage of the chance to get back on track!

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If you own your own company (e.g. a Limited company) and are contracted by the production company as a ‘loan-out,’ you’ll need to include your company’s name in the designated section of your CrewStart or Team Engine invite. This information will also appear on your time sheet. It's important to ensure the details are accurate, as this is how the production company will process your payments. Failing to include your company name correctly could lead to delays in your invoice being paid, or even confusion about your employment status on the project. So, double-check everything before hitting ‘submit’—you don't want your hard-earned cash getting lost in the system!

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