The Company Move Call Sheet: How to Get Your Crew Across Town Without Losing an Hour

Everything about a company move feels like it should be simple. Pack up, drive across town, unpack, roll cameras. Then the shoot day arrives and the move eats two hours, the actors are waiting at the wrong address, and the first location still has a grip truck blocking the gate. I have been the 1st AD on both versions of this day, and the difference was never luck. It was the call sheet.

Treat the Company Move as a Logistical Event, Not a Line Item

Most call sheets treat a company move as a single line: "12:30 PM, company move to Location B." That is a wish, not a plan. A company move is a mini-production inside your production day. It has its own crew calls, transport, parking, safety responsibilities, and failure points. If it can cost you an hour when it goes wrong, it deserves its own section when it goes right.

One Sheet, Two Location Blocks

The cleanest approach I have used on commercials and indie features is simple: the call sheet carries two full location blocks, Location A and Location B, each with its own address, parking instructions, unit base, nearest hospital, and contact info. Each block gets its own bold heading and times. At 6 AM, bleary-eyed, each crew member sees exactly where they are going first and where they are going next. Ambiguity is what sends people to the wrong parking lot.

Stagger the Calls, Do Not Move Everyone at Once

Here is the move that saves the most time: not everyone moves at the same time. Grip and electric may need to strike Location A and roll out 30 minutes before camera wraps. The actors can go straight to Location B for hair and makeup resets instead of sitting in a holding area that no longer exists. Your key PA or transport captain leaves early to set up unit base at Location B. Put staggered crew call times on the sheet explicitly: "Crew call 6:00 AM, Location A. Company move 12:30 PM. G/E strike call 11:45 AM." When they move in waves, the second location is ready before the first camera car arrives.

Name a Move Captain and a Parking Captain

Every company move needs one person whose only job during the transition is the transition. On big shows this is the unit production manager. On smaller shoots it can be your key PA or the 2nd AD. The move captain's name goes on the call sheet in the special instructions box, along with their cell number. Nobody moves until the move captain releases the unit. They confirm Location A is clean, Location B is ready, and give the word. Also name a parking captain at each location. Parking is the number-one cause of company move chaos on small shoots, a full parking lot with no plan turns a 15-minute drive into a 45-minute orbit. The call sheet should include a parking map or drop-pin link for both locations, plus where oversized vehicles go.

Put the Move Numbers on the Sheet

Crews move fast when the numbers are in front of them. Your company move section should list the move departure time, the estimated drive time (and the route, if there is a trick like a one-way street or a bridge toll), the ETA at Location B, and the first setup time at the new location. For example: "Company move departs 12:30 PM, 25 min drive via Riverside Blvd (toll), ETA 1:00 PM, cameras rolling at Location B by 1:45 PM." When people see the math, they hold themselves to it. Include the nearest hospital address for both locations. It is the box everyone skips, and the day you need it you cannot afford to google it.

Lock Off Location A Before the Move

One of the quiet killers of company move days is the unsecured first location. Someone left a lens case in the lobby. A truck is still blocking the loading dock. The owner is calling because the crew never officially left. Your call sheet should include a strike checklist and a lock-off time for Location A: "Location A lock-off: 1:15 PM. All gear and vehicles clear. Location manager on site until 1:30 PM." Assign one person to do the final sweep. It takes three minutes and prevents the 4 PM phone call that pulls you off set.

Communicate the Move Like a Show Within the Show

During the move, your normal communication structure breaks down. Radios get left in vehicles, texts get buried, and half the crew is driving. Set a move protocol on the call sheet: one radio channel for move traffic only, a text group for move updates, and a check-in rule, every department head confirms arrival at Location B with the move captain. Digital confirmation tracking earns its keep here: the move captain sees at a glance who has read the updated sheet and who still thinks they are reporting to Location A.

The Same System Works on Photo Shoots and Small Indie Days

Company moves happen on small shoots too, a morning exterior plus an afternoon studio setup. The principles scale down cleanly. You may not need a move captain, but you still need two location blocks on the sheet, one parking plan per location, and staggered calls so your photographer is not striking the first set alone while the model waits at the second. If your crew fits in three cars, the whole move protocol fits in one box on the call sheet.

The Math Is Simple

A sloppy company move costs between 90 minutes and two hours on a shoot day. A planned one costs 30 to 45 minutes. That is an extra hour of daylight, an extra setup, an extra take of the performance that matters. It requires a call sheet that treats the move as the production event it is: two locations, staggered calls, named captains, visible numbers, and a locked-off departure. Do this once and you will never write "company move" as a single line item again.

Next time you are building a shoot day with a location change, try generating your call sheet with Easy Call Sheets. You can build both location blocks, assign staggered crew calls, and distribute the sheet in one click, and every cast and crew member confirms digitally so your move captain knows exactly who is where.