Shoot Day Calculator
How many days does this shot list actually take once setups, moves and lunch are in it? The calculator above takes shot count, setups per day, locations and company moves and returns shoot days, setups per day and buffer recommendation — computed in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing leaving your device.
Shoot Day Calculator
- Total setups
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- Shoot days
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- With 15 % buffer
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Runs entirely in your browser — no sign-up, nothing transmitted.
What the number actually depends on
A commercial crew realistically lands 12 to 18 setups in a 10-hour day — not the 30 a shot list suggests.
Every company move costs 60 to 120 minutes of shooting time, including the reload.
The gap between a number that goes into a quote and one that holds on the day is rarely the formula — it is whether the constraints were entered honestly. That is why the inputs are spelled out below.
Common mistakes
These come up most often in practice. They rarely break the maths; they routinely break the day:
- Counting shots instead of setups — five shots from one camera position are one setup
- Budgeting zero buffer, so the first weather delay costs a whole extra day
In day-to-day production
The first setup of the day takes roughly twice as long as the average one.
The number belongs in production planning — the point where a decision is still free to change. Working it out on the shoot day is no longer calculating; it is finding out.
In TillyGen this is not a separate step: the result sits inside the plan itself, alongside the shot list, schedule and call sheet. Change a constraint and the dependent values move with it — the affected parts of the plan are flagged rather than quietly left behind.
Frequently asked
How accurate is the Shoot Day Calculator?
The maths is exact; the inputs rarely are. Treat the result as a solid floor and add your buffer deliberately rather than smuggling it into the inputs — a flattered input hides the buffer from everyone who plans with it later.
Is the calculator free?
No. It runs entirely in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing transmitted. There is no usage limit and no account.
Where does this fit in production planning?
In production planning. There it is a basis for deciding; later it is only a finding.
Can I export the result?
The calculator itself only displays the value. In TillyGen it lands directly in the shot list, schedule and call sheet, and goes out as PDF, CSV or through the API to everyone working from it.
What does the calculator return?
Shoot days, setups per day and buffer recommendation. The first value is the one you carry into the plan; the rest show how sensitively it reacts to the inputs.
What should I watch for in the result?
Mainly this: counting shots instead of setups — five shots from one camera position are one setup. That is the mistake that most often turns a correctly calculated number into one that does not hold.