The short answer
Ask for availability early with the exact dates, place and rate, use holds honestly, confirm in writing with all the details, and send the call sheet the evening before. Keep a list of everyone you have worked with, with notes, so the next booking takes minutes.
The booking steps
- Availability check. Dates, city, type of project, role, rate. One message with everything.
- Hold. If the shoot is not confirmed, ask for a hold and say when you will confirm or release. A first hold gives you priority; a second hold comes after someone else's.
- Confirmation. In writing: dates, rate, hours, overtime, kit rental, travel, cancellation terms.
- Release. If the date moves, release people at once. They lose work when you sit on a hold.
- Pre-production information. Schedule, locations, technical needs, who they report to.
- Call sheet. The evening before, to everyone.
- After the shoot. Time sheet or invoice instructions, and a thank-you.
What to keep in your crew list
- Role and skills, including languages and special equipment they own.
- Contact and city.
- Productions they worked on with you.
- Factual notes useful for next time.
This is personal information. Keep it accurate, limit who can see it, and remove someone who asks.
Rates, contracts and unions
Rates and working conditions depend on the market, the type of production and any collective agreement that applies. Check the agreements in force where you shoot. This guide describes the routine, not the legal terms.
In CrewDesk
Each production has its team, so a freelancer added to a project sees its dates and their own tasks with a limited role. Past productions keep their team, which becomes your searchable history. Availability requests and confirmations by message can be added in a custom version.