Pickup days are not leftovers you shove at the end of the board. They are intentional strips that protect picture lock, cover ADR-adjacent inserts, and give the AD a clean path from principal photography into wrap. Plan them on the stripboard early—with dates, page counts, and cast—or they become expensive surprises after the company has already demobilized and key department heads have left town.
Treat pickup strips as first-class daybreaks
Every pickup belongs on a dated strip with set, INT/EXT, pages in eighths, and cast—same discipline as Day 1. In Studiovity’s film scheduling software, keep pickup candidates visible on the board or parked until the director confirms what still needs camera. That way the UPM sees real page load instead of a vague “we’ll grab it later” note. If you are new to reading those color codes and eighths, refresh with how to read a stripboard.
Anchor wrap around non-working days and travel
Wrap is a schedule event, not just a party. Mark the last principal day on the board, then place pickup windows before travel, holidays, or company moves that empty the town and release grip and electric. Configure weekends and travel in the non-working days calendar so a “quick pickup” does not land on a day the key cast already left. Cross-check cast availability and travel logic before you promise a pickup Saturday.
Sync pickup shots before you lock the week
Pickups often mean inserts, plates, or coverage the shot list already flagged. Align those remaining shots to the pickup strips so camera and VFX know what the day is for. When the shot list and stripboard disagree, the pickup day inflates. Use the same shot list sync workflow you used in prep—just scoped to the unfinished list.
Publish wrap-week call sheets from the locked board
Once pickup and wrap days are ordered, export a department PDF and generate sheets from those daybreaks. Call sheet software should pull only the scenes still scheduled—not the entire principal block. Crew on a half-day pickup need accurate call times, not yesterday’s full company sheet.
Pickup and wrap checklist
- List every probable pickup as a strip during prep, even if the date is soft.
- Park soft pickups until editorial or the director confirms need.
- Place wrap and pickup days after the last heavy principal daybreak, before cast travel.
- Re-export the shooting schedule and issue fresh call sheets for wrap week only.
- Keep episodic pickups inside the correct episode workspace so DOOD codes stay honest.
Pickup and wrap planning is schedule hygiene. Build those days in AI film scheduling with the same strip discipline as principal photography, and the company leaves town knowing what still needs camera—and what is truly done.