Skip to main content
Documentary template

Documentary Production Schedule Template

Plan interviews, verite coverage, location B-roll, archival material, follow-ups, and pickups with a flexible three-day documentary schedule.

Free account included. No credit card required.

3

shooting days

9

starter rows

4

activity types

Built for real planning

A practical structure you can replace with your production

Documentary schedules need enough structure to coordinate people and locations without pretending reality will follow a script. This template separates interviews, observational coverage, and archival pickups while leaving room to adapt when a subject or story changes direction.

Short documentaries
Docuseries episodes
Profile films
Small nonfiction crews
Schedule preview

Everything created by this template

These are the actual starter days and rows CinePlan creates. Times and descriptions remain fully editable.

Day 1

Interviews

3 activities
Interview A: primary subjectInterview

morning

9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Interview B: secondary subject / expertInterview

afternoon

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Interview room B-roll & detail shotsB-Roll

afternoon

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Day 2

Verité & Location

3 activities
Verite: observe subject in natural environmentVerité

morning

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location B-roll: establishing shots & atmosphereB-Roll

afternoon

1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Driving / transition footageVerité

afternoon

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Day 3

Archival & Pickups

3 activities
Archival scan: photos, documents, memorabiliaArchival

morning

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Follow-up interview / additional questionsInterview

afternoon

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Pickup shots & closing veritéVerité

afternoon

2:30 PM – 4:30 PM

What you get

  • Separate days for interviews, verite coverage, and archival pickups
  • Activity types for interviews, B-roll, verite, and archival work
  • A visible place for follow-up questions and closing coverage
  • A flexible schedule that can evolve with the story

Planning tips

  1. 1Leave time after each interview for room tone, portraits, and supporting details.
  2. 2Build travel and access windows into observational coverage.
  3. 3Keep a pickup list throughout the shoot instead of waiting until the final day.

Make this schedule fit your production

Open the template in CinePlan, replace the examples, and keep the complete production plan together.

Use template free