“Every project is different.”

If you’re an editor, VFX artist, or colorist, this is probably music to your ears, a reminder to carefully consider the material and context, explore new ideas, and make meaningful creative decisions that suit the project’s purpose and vision. A time to bring the cast, script, shoots, and storyboards to life. 

If you’re a Post-Production Supervisor, however… We feel your pain. It’s the kind of statement usually followed by having to blow your last venture’s entire project management infrastructure to smithereens. 

As post production professionals ourselves, we know this process painfully well. But much like our drive to solve live, high-definition, cross-team collaboration, we’re more likely to problem solve than lament. 

So, after being there ourselves and watching countless post supervisors struggle with trying to reinvent the wheel for each project, we created a free, simple post-production schedule template. Designed to keep your editing projects organized, on-time, and within budget, it will help keep you from wasting valuable time building schedules and let you focus on actual creative work.

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Post-production schedule template

This post-production schedule template provides a complete system for managing your film/video post-production process. Based on professional film production workflows throughout the editing process, this template will help you track all aspects of post-production from editorial to final delivery.

We’ve included a variety of built-in features, giving you both a healthy starting point and the ability to customize and scale with ease. 

Features

• Gantt chart timeline view: Visualize your entire post-production schedule with color-coded tasks to clearly see timelines and dependencies
• Department organization: Pre-populated with standard post departments (Editorial, Visual Effects, Sound, Color, Finishing)
• Task management: Track assignments, durations, dependencies, and progress throughout post-production
• Budget integration: Optional budget tracking for a variety of post-production expenses
• Customizable: Easily adapt to projects of any size or complexity with a few quick edits of pre-built elements
• Team collaboration: Share with your post team for real-time updates
• Mobile-friendly: Access and update from any device

What's included

The template contains three main sheets:

1. Post-production timeline: Gantt-style chart showing all tasks across your post schedule, as well as status tracking, similar to a calendar view
2. Tasks & assignments: Detailed tracking of each task with assignments, dates, and status
3. Budget tracking: Monitor post-production expenses by department and category

Click here to get your copy of the Post-Production Schedule Template

When you click the link, Google will prompt you to make a copy of the template in your own Google Drive, where you can begin customizing it for your project.

Departments and tasks included

Editorial

• Assembly cut
• Rough cut
• Fine cut
• Picture lock
• Final cut

Visual effects

• VFX prep/breakdown
• Track/match/roto/key
• Asset creation
• Simulation/FX/dynamics
• Compositing/rendering
• Final adjustments/QC
• VFX approval
• Final VFX delivery

Sound

• Dialogue edit
• SFX editing
• Sound design
• Music composition
• Music editing
• Sound editing/mixing
• Final audio delivery

Color

• Color prep
• Color correction/color grading
• Masking/tracking
• Look development
• Final adjustments
• Rendering & QC

Finishing

• Titles & graphics
• Credits
• Final VFX integration
• Final color grade/mastering
• Final sound mix/master
• Final QC
• Deliverable production
• Approval & distribution

How to Use

1. Make a copy: Click the link above to create your own editable copy of the template
2. Customize tasks: Add, remove, or modify tasks to match your specific workflow
3. Set timeline: Enter start and end dates for each task
4. Track progress: Update status as you move through post-production
5. Share: Collaborate with your team by sharing access to the spreadsheet

Additional tips

• Use the Notes column for important details, links to assets, or feedback
• Consider creating a simplified view for clients or executives
• Review and update the schedule weekly with your post-production team

Key considerations for post-production scheduling

Timeline planning fundamentals

• Identify which tasks truly depend on one another and which can run in parallel: While you'll need Picture Lock before final VFX work begins, many tasks can overlap to improve efficiency and reduce overall production time.
• Set realistic timeframes for each editing phase: It's better to allocate extra time upfront than scramble later. Realistic timelines give your team space to do quality work and maintain creative energy throughout the project.
• Include dedicated review cycles before moving to new stages: These checkpoints prevent costly backtracking when issues are caught early. A small investment in review time prevents major rework later.
• Account for machine processing time in your schedule: Tasks like creating proxies, rendering, and exporting require significant computer resources. Build this processing time into your timeline to avoid putting pressure on team members.

Resource allocation guidelines

• Distribute work based on each team member's full range of skills, not just their job title: Many post-production professionals can contribute beyond their primary role. This balanced approach improves workflow efficiency and team satisfaction. 
• Plan hardware and software access throughout each production phase: Crew members that conduct the most CPU/GPU intensive work should get preference for the most powerful machines to maintain efficiency of processing and the work dependent on it.
• Create clear systems for managing shared resources: Implement time-based sign-ups, request forms, and inventory alerts so everyone knows what's available and when.
• Plan early for freelancer hiring and vendor scheduling: Identify where you'll need additional help at the beginning of your planning process. Map out precisely when these external resources need to come online to support your production timeline.

Common scheduling pitfalls and how to avoid them

Pitfall

Solution

Underestimating feedback cycles

Schedule review sessions early in the process to gauge typical turnaround times. Use this data to better plan for later feedback rounds.

Forgetting to account for technical issues

Add buffer time to each task. This extra time covers unexpected problems, and if unused, provides flexibility later in the schedule.

Not communicating the schedule effectively

Establish one central location for all schedule updates. Create a daily check-in routine so team members stay informed about changes. 

Failing to update the schedule as projects evolve

Make schedule updates part of everyone's responsibility. Add comment fields or daily logs where team members can note progress and changes that affect timelines.

Scheduling conflicts between team members

Discuss availability with all team members before finalizing the schedule. Prioritize those working on early, critical tasks that others depend on.

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Elevate your post-production process with real-time collaboration

We’ve created the post-production planning/scheduling template as a helpful and functional tool to minimize barriers and maximize efficiency. Truth be told though, the best communication and collaboration often happens in real time. 

Ideally, getting everyone “in the same room” – even if it’s done digitally – is one of the best ways to move projects forward, as live collaboration allows everyone to see and discuss what’s in front of them at the same time. 

It’s for that very reason (and more) that Evercast was built. Video conference with your team as you stream content from Media Composer, Pro Tools, Premiere, Maya, or any other software in 4K, HDR, 10-bit 4:4:4 with ultra low latency (<100ms). Each virtual room offers the ability to draw, chat, take notes, and record so you can not only discuss every detail, but clearly document every piece of feedback.