What Gets Drafted
Auto-draft finds each actor's first and last scene on the day, backs out blocking and makeup, and leaves the result in the cell as a suggestion. Four columns on the CS Front cast table are drafted. HMU and PICKUP are not.
| Column | How the draft is worked out |
|---|---|
| SET | Start of the actor's first scene on the day's timeline |
| BLK/REH | SET minus Avg Blocking Lead |
| CALL | BLK/REH minus the actor's Avg. HMU from the Cast tab, or Default Makeup when they have none |
| LOSE @ | End of the actor's last scene plus Wrap Buffer |
How the Day's Timeline Is Built
The timeline starts at the general crew call on the call sheet and runs down the scene schedule in order. Banners with a duration move the clock forward. A LUNCH banner with no duration uses Lunch Banner Duration. A scene with its own estimated minutes uses them. Every other scene shares out what is left of Avg Day Shoot Duration by page count, with a 10-minute minimum. A scene with no page count gets 10 minutes. Only each actor's first and last scenes matter for their times.
Settings
Everything is under Auto-Draft Call Times on the Globals tab. Enable Auto-Draft turns the whole feature on or off.
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| Avg Blocking Lead (mins) | 60 |
| Default Makeup (mins) | 30 |
| Wrap Buffer (mins) | 15 |
| Lunch Banner Duration (mins) | 30 |
| Avg Day Shoot Duration (Scheduling Factors) | 12 hours |
Draft Columns
The Draft Columns switches change what the draft includes. The four cells are still drafted.
- Blocking / On-Set off: no blocking lead, so BLK/REH equals SET
- Makeup / HMU off: no makeup time, so CALL equals BLK/REH
- Lose At / Wrap off: no buffer, so LOSE @ is the end of the last scene
Approving and Replacing Drafts
Drafts show at half opacity, and only in cells that are empty. The call sheet needs a general crew call and a shooting call before any appear. Nothing is saved until you act on a cell.
- Hover a drafted cell and click the green check (Approve draft time) to keep that one value
- Hover the row and click the green circle to its left (Approve all draft times) to keep all four
- Type a time into the cell to replace the draft. The typed value is saved straight away
- Right-click a time cell and choose Reset to Estimate to clear it and bring the draft back
| # | Character | Cast | CALL | BLK/REH | SET | LOSE @ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NORA | Dana Whitfield | ! | |||
| 2 | SAM | Marcus Bell | ||||
| 3 | LILY | Ava Moreno9-15 |
When the Schedule Moves
Unapproved drafts recalculate as soon as the scene order, a scene estimate or the crew call changes. Saved times are stored as offsets from crew call, so they move with the crew call but not with the scenes. The bulk run is different. An import with auto-draft switched on, or Apply to All Days Now from the CS Front Auto-Draft switch, re-drafts every day. Times you typed in CALL, BLK/REH, SET and LOSE @ are kept. Approved drafts are cleared, and the new drafts show in their place.