Call Sheets for Second Unit Days: How 1st ADs Keep Two Units on One Plan

A second unit day only works when the second unit gets its own call sheet. Not a footnote on the main unit sheet, not a forwarded text thread, and not a verbal plan at the morning safety meeting. The second unit needs its own document, with its own call time, location, crew list, shot list, and safety notes, linked clearly to the main unit day so nobody has to guess which unit they belong to. When that sheet is missing or muddled, the two units start competing for the same people, the same gear, and the same daylight, and the editor ends up with coverage that does not cut together.

The fix is simple, and it is boring on purpose. One day, two sheets, one shared set of facts. The main unit sheet covers the main unit. The second unit sheet covers the second unit. Both sheets agree on the date, the production name, the nearest hospital, and the production office contact, and each sheet stands on its own for the people reading it.

What should go on a second unit call sheet?

Start with the same header discipline you use for any call sheet: production name, shoot date, day number, and the words Second Unit where nobody can miss them. Then give the second unit its own location block, with the full address, parking instructions, and the nearest hospital for that location, not the main unit location. A second unit shooting inserts across town does not benefit from directions to a stage it will never visit.

The schedule section is where a second unit sheet earns its keep. List each shot or setup in order, with a plain description of what the camera needs to capture, any framing note the director of photography specified, and the talent or background involved. Second unit work is often inserts, establishing shots, plates, or action beats that must match main unit footage, so say what each shot must match. A note that reads, match the main unit closeup from Scene 12, same lens height and same wardrobe, will save an editor an hour of guesswork.

The crew section should list only the people working that unit, with their own call times. Do not copy the full main unit roster onto the second unit sheet. A second unit grip who sees 40 names will skim past their own call time, and a main unit actor who is not needed will show up anyway if their name appears on a forwarded sheet. If a person splits the day between units, say so plainly, with a move time and a destination, such as camera assistant moves to second unit at 2 p.m., reports to the alley location. That one line prevents three phone calls.

How do you keep main unit and second unit from colliding?

Collisions usually come from shared resources, not bad intentions. Two units often share a camera package, a lens set, a vehicle, or a key crew member, and both sheets were written as if that resource belonged to them all day. Before either sheet goes out, the 1st AD and the person running second unit need one conversation covering four things: who has the gear and when, who moves between units and when, what happens if one unit runs long, and who makes the call when plans change.

Put the answers on both sheets. If second unit has the long lens until 1 p.m. and main unit needs it at 1:30 p.m., write the handoff into the schedule, with a named person responsible for moving it. If a location can only be held until sunset, put the hard out on the sheet, not in a side conversation.

Running the split day without losing the thread

On the day itself, give the second unit its own radio channel or group thread, so its internal chatter does not flood main unit, and agree on two check-in times, midday and before wrap, when each unit reports progress and problems. If second unit falls behind, the check-in is where the 1st AD decides what gets cut, not at wrap when it is too late to recover. Each unit should also wrap on its own report, listing what was captured, what was dropped, and any continuity notes for the editor, because five minutes of reporting at wrap is worth a full day of pickups later.

The tool matters less than the discipline, but it matters on a split day, because two sheets have to go out, stay consistent, and get revised without a spreadsheet breaking. Easy Call Sheets builds a professional call sheet in about 2 minutes, and each person on the sheet confirms or declines with one tap and no account required, so you can see who is actually coming instead of guessing. Crew members also get an .ics calendar file with their own call time, location, parking, and notes, shown in their timezone, which is exactly the kind of detail that prevents a second unit call time from being misread. You can revise and resend with one click, export a PDF, and share a public link viewable in any browser, so a revised sheet reaches the right people fast.

The Free plan costs $0 and covers unlimited productions with 2 email sends per month, which is enough to try the workflow on a real shoot. Pro is $9 per month, billed monthly and cancelable anytime, with unlimited email sends, shareable links, weather forecasts, file attachments, custom branding, and SMS notifications, plus automatic weather forecasts for the shoot date and location and reminder emails for unconfirmed crew. On a second unit day, those reminders are how you find out at 8 p.m. the night before, not at 7 a.m. on set, that your key grip never saw the sheet. Start your next second unit sheet at easycallsheets.com.

Frequently asked questions

Should second unit have its own call sheet or share the main unit sheet?

Its own sheet. A shared sheet buries second unit call times under main unit names, and a forwarded main unit sheet invites people who are not needed. Two sheets, one shared set of facts, each readable on its own.

Who writes the second unit call sheet?

Usually the 2nd AD or the second unit director, working from the 1st AD's schedule, with the 1st AD approving anything that touches shared gear, shared crew, or the main unit day. The author matters less than the approval step for shared resources.