Production Slate

Overview

Production Slate brings script breakdowns, scheduling, budgets, crew, and call sheets into one production management workflow. It is best suited to line producers, production managers, assistant directors, and small production companies handling film, television, and other video projects. Its free plan covers a small shoot, while per-seat Team pricing makes the cost of a larger crew worth weighing before a production scales up.

Key features

From script to schedule

Teams can import FDX scripts, read them in the app, and tag props, wardrobe, and set dressing by highlighting text. Scheduling links that prep to day-to-day planning with drag-and-drop scene strips, crew and location assignments, labor cost calculations, and day-out-of-days reports. That breadth suits productions that want breakdowns, logistics, and costs together; the free plan's five shoot days, however, only accommodate a short schedule.

Call sheets and access

Call sheets can automatically include crew, cast, scenes, weather, sunrise and sunset, and nearest-hospital information. Free users are limited to three sends per project and 10 recipients per send; Pro allows unlimited sends to 25 recipients, and Team removes the recipient limit. Organizations can share projects automatically and assign Owner, Editor, or Viewer access by page, useful when a production needs to control who can change shared material.

Portability and data handling

Pro adds Excel, CSV, and Movie Magic Budget import and export, while budgets can also be exported as PDFs. Production data can be exported as PDFs or downloaded as JSON. Production Slate says data is encrypted in transit with TLS 1.2+ and at rest with AES-256, with row-level security policies on database tables. It stores data and encrypted backups in the United States. The maker identifies Production Slate LLC as the GDPR and UK GDPR data controller and says it does not sell personal data. Those safeguards and export options will matter to teams weighing access and portability, though the stated US hosting may not suit every organization's requirements.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing, billed $0/ month. It allows two projects, 50 budget items, 15 crew members, and five shoot days, with call sheets capped at three sends to 10 recipients per project. Attachments are limited to 10 MB per file and 25 MB per sheet. These caps make it a practical way to coordinate a compact production, but a longer shoot or more active projects will outgrow it quickly.

Pro costs $12 a month, billed $12/ month or $99/year. It includes unlimited personal projects, budget items, crew, and shoot days, unlimited call-sheet sends to 25 recipients, clean PDFs, a script reader, data exchange with Excel, CSV, and Movie Magic Budget, and unlimited crew payroll entries with tiered over. It is the clearest fit for an individual production professional who needs room to manage multiple or larger shoots; the recipient ceiling and personal-project scope remain meaningful constraints for broader teams.

Team costs $20 a month, billed $20/ user / month. It has no base fee or minimums and includes unlimited projects, budgets, crew, shoot days, payroll, and call-sheet recipients and sends. Freelancers invited to one project are free. This suits organizations coordinating ongoing work across staff and freelancers, but per-seat charges mean the bill rises with the number of paid users.

Enterprise has custom pricing for organizations with 50+ members needing SSO, SLAs, audit logs, or dedicated support; contact [email protected]. Accounts remain accessible indefinitely if inactive. The maker also says it aims to respond to privacy requests within 30 days.

Platforms

Production Slate supports Android, iOS, and web. The maker says its progressive web app works on iPhone, iPad, Android, and desktop, giving crews mobile and desktop access without limiting the product to a single operating system.

Who it's for

Production Slate is aimed at line producers, production managers, assistant directors, and small production companies working on films, shorts, music videos, commercials, branded content, web series, and TV. Its linked planning, budgeting, crew, and call-sheet tools make it a strong fit when one team needs to coordinate several parts of production. A very small shoot can start free; teams needing broad recipient access, more projects, or organization-level needs should compare the paid tiers against their headcount and workflow.

Pros and cons

• Connected production workflow: FDX breakdowns, scene scheduling, cost calculations, crew assignments, and call sheets cover several linked planning tasks.
• Useful free entry point: The no-cost plan supports two projects and 15 crew, enough to try the workflow or manage a short, compact shoot.
• Clear path to team scale: Team removes project and call-sheet quotas, and freelancers on one project do not add a seat charge.
• Free-plan ceilings arrive quickly: Five shoot days, three call-sheet sends, and 10 recipients per send can be restrictive even for modest productions.
• Team costs track headcount: At $20 per user per month, a large staff can make Team less economical than Pro for an individual.
• Enterprise requires a pricing conversation: Organizations needing enterprise controls must contact the maker for a quote.

Alternatives

For a broader category comparison, browse Film Production Scheduling Software or Video Production Management Software.

CineLog offers a free plan with one active project, 50 MB of media storage, and up to two collaborators, making it a possible fit for a very small collaborative project. Gorilla Scheduling has a free plan, but collaboration, certain reports and exports, fringes, and its integrated Ratebook require a paid plan. Cinetech offers a free, read-only demo account and a paid Scheduling plan at $15 a month billed monthly. Filmustage has a free plan with one active project and partial AI breakdown for 20% of scenes; its Director's Cut plan is $55 a month. MoviePrepper is another freemium option. Prescene has a free Screenplay Editor plan with unlimited drafts and no AI usage, while Plus costs $49 a month. Shamel Studio offers a free plan limited to one project and a Call Sheets & Production Reports add-on for 12.00 USD. Slatefox is a paid option with a free-to-try plan, an Indie plan at €19 a month that includes script breakdown, and a Studio plan at €59 a month.

Verdict

Production Slate is a strong choice for small production teams that want scripts, schedules, budgets, crew, and call sheets in one workflow, with a free plan for a short or compact shoot. Its main advantage is the connection between planning tasks; its main drawback is that free limits are tight and Team pricing scales per user. Choose it if those tools fit your production and seat count. Look elsewhere if the free caps are too restrictive or your organization needs Enterprise pricing without contacting the maker.