Last Updated 3 days ago
A day out of days, often shortened to DOOD, is a scheduling report that shows when cast members or other production elements are required across a shoot. It usually takes the form of a grid: names or elements run down the side, dates run across the top, and codes describe each element's scheduled status.
What the Report Shows
A cast DOOD makes it possible to follow one performer's requirements through the entire shooting schedule. Instead of finding the actor's name in every scene on a long stripboard, a reader can scan a single row. Other versions can track elements such as vehicles or special equipment, depending on the scheduling system and the production's needs.
The report is generated from the schedule and its underlying breakdown information. It is therefore only as reliable as those inputs. If a scene includes a performer who was omitted from the breakdown, that person may also disappear from the resulting report. A clean-looking grid is not proof that the script has been checked accurately.
Reading the Codes
Common conventions include W for work, SW for start work, WF for work finish, and SWF when an element starts and finishes within one working day. H commonly indicates a hold. Other codes can identify travel, rehearsal, holidays, or a drop and later pickup. Read the legend supplied with the particular report before interpreting unfamiliar letters.
Software settings matter. Movie Magic Scheduling, for example, allows rules that affect how holds and drop/pickup periods appear. A blank cell may simply mean that no activity has been scheduled or displayed for that element. It should not automatically be interpreted as an unpaid day or unrestricted availability. Those conclusions require the relevant booking and contractual information.
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A Simple Example
Imagine an original five-day shooting plan. Maya appears in scenes scheduled for Monday and Friday, while Leon appears only on Tuesday and Wednesday. Their rows immediately reveal two different patterns: Maya's work spans most of the week despite having only two scheduled workdays, while Leon's work is grouped together.
That difference prompts useful questions. Can Maya's scenes be brought closer together? Would moving them create an extra location move or conflict with another performer? Is she available throughout the intended period? A DOOD makes the pattern visible; the assistant director and production team still have to decide whether changing it improves the whole schedule.
How It Differs From Other Documents
A stripboard organises scenes into a shooting order. A one-line schedule summarises those scenes and days. A breakdown sheet records the elements required by an individual scene. A DOOD reorganises the scheduling information around the element, making its pattern of use easier to see.
A call sheet serves a different timescale. It provides the practical instructions for a particular shooting day, including individual calls and other details. Seeing W beside an actor's name on a DOOD does not establish the actor's arrival time, transport arrangements, makeup call, or exact sequence of work. Those instructions belong in the approved daily communication.
Using It for Planning
Production can compare the report with cast availability, location access, bookings, and estimated costs. Long gaps between appearances may deserve attention, particularly when travel or accommodation is involved. Equipment reports can reveal whether an expensive item is needed throughout a rental period or only for a few separated scenes.
Cost-saving decisions still require context. Compressing one actor's days might require an impractical lighting change, additional crew, or an unsafe workload. Treat the report as a way to identify questions rather than an instruction to minimise every row independently. Efficient scheduling balances the requirements of the production as a whole.
Version Control and Limits
Label distributed reports with their date and schedule version. After revisions, regenerate the report and check affected rows rather than assuming an older copy remains accurate. Confirm which board, unit, episode, or category the export represents, especially when several scheduling alternatives exist.
Finally, distinguish planned activity from actual employment records. A DOOD does not replace performer contracts, time reports, payroll records, or the applicable collective agreement. Paid holds, guarantees, travel treatment, and other obligations depend on the engagement and jurisdiction. Its central job is to make scheduled requirements visible, so the people responsible can check them against those separate commitments.
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