Production Slate

Overview

Production Slate is production management software for film and video teams working across schedules, budgets, crew, and call sheets. It is best suited to line producers, production managers, assistant directors, and small production companies. Its free tier makes it possible to start small, while Pro and Team remove many of the limits that constrain a growing production.

Key features

Breakdowns and schedules

Import an FDX script, read it in the app, and tag props, wardrobe, and set dressing by highlighting text. That connects script breakdowns to planning without requiring the team to re-enter those details manually. Scheduling adds drag-and-drop scene strips, crew and location assignments, labor cost calculations, and day-out-of-days reports, a practical combination for teams coordinating both logistics and costs.

Call sheets and collaboration

Call sheets can automatically include crew, cast, scenes, weather, sunrise and sunset, and the nearest hospital. The free plan caps each project at three sends to up to 10 recipients; Pro allows unlimited sends to up to 25 recipients, and Team removes the recipient cap. Organizations can share projects automatically and set page-level Owner, Editor, or Viewer access, which helps separate editing responsibilities from read-only access.

Data, security, and portability

Pro supports Excel, CSV, and Movie Magic Budget import and export, and budgets can be exported as PDFs. Users can also export production data as PDFs or download it as JSON. Production Slate says it encrypts data in transit with TLS 1.2+ and at rest with AES-256, and applies row-level security policies to database tables. Data and encrypted backups are hosted in the United States. The company identifies itself as the data controller under GDPR and UK GDPR, says it does not sell personal data, and says accounts remain accessible indefinitely if inactive.

Pricing

• Free — free: Covers two projects, 50 budget items, 15 crew, and five shoot days. Each project gets call sheets to 10 recipients for up to three sends; attachments are limited to 10 MB per file and 25 MB per sheet. It is a useful starting point for a small production, but the project, crew, and shoot-day ceilings make it a poor fit for sustained or larger work.
• Pro — $12 a month, billed $12/ month or $99/year: Adds unlimited personal projects, budget items, crew, shoot days, call sheet sends, and crew payroll entries, with up to 25 recipients per send. It also includes clean PDFs, a script reader, and Excel, CSV, and Movie Magic Budget import and export. This is the clearest fit for an individual producer who needs room to manage multiple productions and exchange budget data.
• Team — $20 a month: Billed per user, with no base fee or minimums. It includes unlimited projects, budgets, crew, shoot days, payroll, call sheet recipients, and sends. Freelancers invited to one project are free, which is useful when a core team works with rotating collaborators; per-seat billing still means the cost rises with the permanent team.
• Enterprise — custom pricing: For organizations with 50 or more members that need SSO, SLAs, audit logs, or dedicated support.

Platforms

Production Slate works on Android, iOS, and the web. Its progressive web app is described as working on iPhone, iPad, Android, and desktop, giving crews mobile access without limiting the product to a single device type.

Who it's for

Production Slate suits line producers, production managers, assistant directors, and small production companies making films, shorts, music videos, commercials, branded content, web series, or TV. It is particularly compelling when a team wants script breakdown, scheduling, labor costs, crew assignments, and call sheets in one workflow. A production that exceeds the Free caps, or needs more than 25 call-sheet recipients per send without Team, should budget for a paid plan.

Pros and cons

Pros

• FDX highlighting can tag props, wardrobe, and set dressing directly in the script, tying breakdown work to production planning.
• Schedules combine scene-strip organization with labor costs, crew and location assignments, and day-out-of-days reports.
• Call sheets can assemble useful production-day details automatically, including weather, sunrise and sunset, and nearest hospital information.
• Team permits unlimited recipients and sends, while freelancers on a single project are free.
• PDF and JSON data exports provide a way to take production information out of the service.

Cons

• The Free plan's two-project, 15-crew, and five-shoot-day limits can quickly constrain active productions.
• Free call sheets are limited to three sends per project and 10 recipients, so even small productions may need Pro as schedules change.
• Pro's 25-recipient cap may be insufficient for larger call-sheet lists; unlimited recipients require the per-user Team plan.
• Team costs $20 per user per month, so organizations with many permanent users face a rising seat cost.
• Data and backups are hosted in the United States, a consideration for organizations with stricter data-location requirements.

Alternatives

ScenePaper is worth considering if a free plan with every tool and every seat matters more than Production Slate's stated production workflow. Shamel Studio may suit a web-only user seeking editing tools on a one-project free plan, with call sheets and production reports offered as a separate add-on.

PreProducer is an alternative for teams that need a downloadable desktop option across Linux, macOS, or Windows as well as the web. Dramatify is a web and mobile alternative with a paid Fiction STARTER plan requiring at least three seats.

Cinetech offers a free demo project with read-only access and a paid Scheduling plan, making it an option for evaluating a web scheduler. Gorilla Scheduling is another option for teams that want macOS, Windows, or web access and are willing to use a paid plan for collaboration and certain reports and exports.

CineSched is a free, open-source macOS app. FilmBase is a paid macOS and Windows option with a monthly plan that includes unlimited projects and offline use once installed.

For broader category comparisons, see Film Production Scheduling Software and Video Production Management Software.

Verdict

Production Slate is a strong fit for small production teams that want breakdowns, scheduling, budgeting, crew planning, and call sheets tied together, with a free tier for modest projects and paid plans that scale up. Choose Pro for an individual producer who needs unlimited personal projects and data exchange; choose Team when shared work and unlimited call-sheet reach matter. Look elsewhere if the free caps are too tight, a larger team cannot justify per-seat pricing, or United States hosting does not suit your requirements.