Tired of Fighting Your Scheduling Software?
Reliability Your Production Team Can Count On
Steep learning curves, subscription fees, and cloud lag slow production teams down. SimpleStrips launches instantly, stays in sync, and handles last-minute changes without breaking your workflow. Stripboards, call sheets, breakdowns, and a production calendar in one fast desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Completely free during open beta.
It's Just Better
No Subscription, It's Free
Free during open beta. One-time pricing after. You never rent your scheduling app.
On-Device Auto-Breakdown
Let Auto-Breakdown save you hours. It runs on your machine, so your script never leaves it.
Call Sheets Included
Call sheets build themselves from your schedule. No add-on. No extra fee.
Auto-Schedule Around Availability
Mark when cast, crew, locations, and props are free. Press Auto-Schedule and your stripboard lands on dates that work for everyone.
Learn It in Minutes
A clean, modern interface. No hidden menus, no cryptic buttons, no 200-page manual.
Works 100% Offline
No account. No cloud. Your project files live on your drive, on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Three Workspaces, One Unified Schedule
Automatically Synchronized With A Shared Workflow
Simple & Intuitive Stripboard
Drag & Drop Scheduling + Bulk Actions
At the heart of SimpleStrips is a powerful, intuitive stripboard that puts you in control of your shooting schedule. Drag and drop strips to build your schedule visually. Each strip shows all the essential information at a glance: scene number, page count, cast, location, and description. Multi-select to move entire sequences at once. Add company moves, breaks, banners, and more to organize your schedule. Flag scenes as VO/ADR or Weather Dependent and track story day/night numbers for narrative continuity. Cut a scene for now? Send it to the Boneyard, a shared archive where strips wait until you need them again. The stripboard is designed to be fast, flexible, and easy to use so you can focus on crafting the best possible shooting schedule without fighting your software.
Constraints-Based Scheduling
With Auto-Schedule + Auto-Fix
A Gantt-style timeline that shows when your cast, crew, locations, and breakdown items are available, and when they aren't. Mark availability windows or blackout dates, make them repeat, and add Holds or Courtesy Holds with notes. Flip to the Scheduled view to see who is booked on which day, with every double-booking and hold violation highlighted. SimpleStrips warns you if any change impacts your schedule. Press Auto-Schedule and your stripboard lands on the closest dates that work for everyone. Already scheduled? Auto-Fix moves only the days that conflict, and tells you about any it can't solve. Bulk select and drag constraints, work across timezones and DST changes, and export a Constraints Report PDF to share with your team.
Drag & Drop Calendar
With Month & Week Views + Bulk Actions
Visualize your entire production schedule with Google-Calendar-style month and week views featuring intuitive drag & drop functionality. Unlike competing software that offers separate project timelines, SimpleStrips provides true two-way sync. Drag a shoot day to a new date in the calendar and your stripboard updates instantly. Adjust shoot times or durations in calendar view and watch call sheets update automatically. Move strips in your stripboard and the calendar reflects changes immediately. Use marquee selection to move multiple shoot days at once. Create calendar-specific entries for rehearsals, fittings, tests, and production events with full timezone support. Set up recurring entries for regular production meetings or weekly deadlines. Track multi-day events like location holds and equipment reservations. Issue badges show problems right on each day, and Lock to Constraints stops a drag from landing anyone on a date they can't work. Export your schedule to ICS format for sharing with crew and vendors.
On-Device Auto-Breakdown
Plus Sheet & Script Views + Bulk Actions
Let Auto-Breakdown do the first pass and save hours of your time! It runs entirely on your machine, so your script never leaves it. Then refine however you like: the breakdown editor expands intuitively from a scene's strip, with no separate windows and no Workspace-switching. Enter items manually in the sheet view, or use the script view to highlight entries directly. Everything stays synchronized live as you work! Already have a tagged script file? SimpleStrips finds and integrates those tags automatically on import. Add extras to a breakdown and they appear on the corresponding call sheets instantly. Built-in bulk actions make it fast to reuse and cross-reference data across scenes.
Intuitive Dynamic Navigation
A simple tabs-based navigation system keeps your unit stripboards, calendar, constraints, and panel dock just a click away! The panel dock? It's your command center for managing characters, locations, breakdown details, and production data with project-wide synchronization. Never dig through menus or spreadsheets ever again.
Now here's where things get really powerful: at the top of the dock is the Dynamic Panel, the settings and information it displays is based on your selections in the active workspace. Select a scene (or even many) to edit its details, cast, and locations. Select a shoot day to adjust call times. The Dynamic Panel keeps the most relevant information and controls right at your fingertips, streamlining your workflow and eliminating the need to navigate through multiple menus or windows.
Production-Ready Exports, Faster & Smarter Than Ever
Call Sheets Included
No add-on. No extra fee. Call sheets automatically grab cast, crew, extras, locations, notes, times, and agenda details from your project. But you keep full control: bulk-edit sheets or customize individual ones in the dynamic panel. Choose single-sided or traditional call sheet layouts. Set weather (in °F or °C), sunlight times, and more!
Breakdown Sheets
SimpleStrips exports breakdown sheets in clean, easy-to-read, industry-standard formatting. But that's not all; breakdown data dynamically links to related exports too! Extras added to a breakdown appear on corresponding call sheets automatically.
2-Click DOOD Reports
Generate comprehensive and accurate DOOD reports with just two clicks! SimpleStrips automatically compiles all the necessary data from your project.
How SimpleStrips Compares
SimpleStrips delivers the reliability, speed, and modern workflow that production professionals and next-generation filmmakers need.
Cloud-Only Platforms
Stop paying and you lose edit access to your own work. Lose WiFi on a location scout and you're locked out. SimpleStrips runs 100% offline, and your files live on your drive, forever.
Legacy Desktop Software
Monthly fees for crash-prone software with a '90s interface. SimpleStrips is built on the same modern architecture behind WhatsApp, 1Password, and Slack.
Spreadsheets
Copy-pasting across sheets, with zero automation when details change. SimpleStrips links everything. Update a location or cast assignment once and it cascades everywhere instantly.
| App | SimpleStrips | MovieMagic | StudioBinder | Shamel Studio | Excel | Yamdu | Gorilla |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Subscription | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Inexpensive | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Auto-Breakdown | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Partial | Extra $$ |
| Call Sheets | ✓ | Manual | ✓ | Extra $$ | Manual | ✓ | Extra $$ |
| Constraints-Based Scheduling | ✓ | Warnings | Warnings | Warnings | ✗ | Warnings | ✗ |
| Auto-Schedule Around Availability | ✓ | Partial | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Modern UI | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Intuitive UX | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Runs Well | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| No Bloat | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Works Offline | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Stays Local | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calendar Workspace | ✓ | Month View | Gantt Chart | Month View | ✗ | Gantt Chart | Month View |
| Calendar/Stripboard Sync | ✓ | ✓ | One-Way | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Problem Flagging | ✓ | Partial | Partial | Partial | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Double-Booking Detection | ✓ | ✓ | Partial | Partial | ✗ | Partial | ✗ |
| Smart Auto-Sort | ✓ | Basic | ✓ | Basic | ✗ | Basic | ✗ |
| Multi-Unit Support | ≤ 10 | ≤ 4 | ✗ | ≤ 2 | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Script Tagging | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Import Tagged Scripts | ✓ | .sex Only | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | .fdx Only | ✗ |
| ICS Calendar Export | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Linux Support | ✓ | ✗ | Browser | Browser | Browser | Browser | ✗ |
| Screenplay Import | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | .pdf Only | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Breakdown Sheets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| DOOD Reports | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PDF Export | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Endlessly Powerful Features, Without Any Clutter
Maximum Flexibility to Work The Way You Want
Seamless Screenplay Import
Import Final Draft (.fdx) or Fountain (.fountain) files and get a full stripboard in seconds. Scenes, characters, and page counts come across automatically. Got a new draft? Re-import it. SimpleStrips asks before touching scheduled scenes.
Drag & Drop Stripboard
Build your schedule visually. Drag strips into place, multi-select whole sequences, and add company moves, breaks, and banners. Each strip shows scene number, page count, cast, location, and description at a glance, so nothing hides in a menu.
On-Device Auto-Breakdown
Auto-Breakdown does the first pass for you, entirely on your own machine, so your script never leaves it. Choose Basic, Better, or Advanced detection. Tags link to the exact script line, and your hand-placed tags are always kept.
Call Sheets Included
No add-on and no extra fee. Call sheets pull cast, crew, extras, locations, times, and agenda details from your project. Bulk-edit them or adjust a single sheet. Pick single-sided or traditional layouts, and set weather in °F or °C.
Constraints, Auto-Schedule, & Auto-Fix
A Gantt-style timeline shows when cast, crew, locations, and items are free. Add blackout dates and Holds. Auto-Schedule finds dates that work for everyone. Auto-Fix moves only the days in conflict and reports any it cannot solve.
Strip Auto-Sorting
Build a practical schedule fast with a sorting engine that weighs day length, location, cast availability, story continuity, and page count. Combine, disable, and reorder rules by priority. Turnaround enforcement and automatic breaks keep schedules crew-friendly.
Extensive Problem Flagging
The Problems Panel catches issues before they reach set: incomplete call sheets, timing conflicts, double-booked cast, crew, or locations, hold violations, and dozens more. Badges on strips and calendar days show where to look. Fix problems in prep, not on the day.
Cast & Crew Management
Store roles, contact details, and notes for cast and crew. Mark core crew for automatic assignment to every shoot day, with per-day overrides. Cast numbering handles additions and deletions cleanly. One shared database feeds every workspace and export.
Two-Way Drag & Drop Calendar
Month and week views sync with your stripboard in both directions. Drag a shoot day and the stripboard follows. Add rehearsals, fittings, and recurring meetings with full timezone support. Issue badges flag problems on each day. Export to ICS for crew and vendors.
Breakdown Sheets
Export clean, industry-standard breakdown sheets, edited in sheet view or directly in the script. Breakdown data links to your other exports, so extras added to a breakdown appear on the matching call sheets automatically. Story days carry through too.
2-Click DOOD Reports
Generate a Day Out of Days report in two clicks. SimpleStrips compiles the data it needs from your project automatically, so there is no copying between sheets. Export it as a PDF to share with your team.
Multi-Unit Support
Run up to 10 independent shooting units in one project file, each with its own stripboard, schedule, and crew list. Share crew across units when you need to. Right-click any strip to move it to another unit, and view every unit on one calendar.
Perfect Privacy & Security
Your projects stay on your machine. No cloud uploads and no account required. You own your .SimpleStrip files and every exported document. Work offline anywhere, anytime, and keep your creative work private.
Smart Location Management
Link story locations to real filming locations. When "Coffee Shop" shoots at Magdalen's in Lorain, tie them and every scene strip updates. Change your mind? Un-tie and reassign. Sort by story location to group sequences, or by shoot location to cut company moves.
Story Day/Night Tracking
Track narrative continuity with story day and night numbers kept separate from shoot days. Auto-Sorting uses them, and they flow into call sheet agendas and breakdown sheets. Essential for keeping wardrobe, makeup, and props consistent across multi-day stories.
ADR / VO & Weather Badges
Flag scenes that need ADR, voice-over, or the right weather with dedicated badges. Toggle them from a strip's right-click menu. Badges show on the stripboard, Boneyard, calendar, and call sheets, and you can search by them. Weather-dependent scenes can sort to the front.
The Boneyard
Cut a scene for now? Send it to the Boneyard, a shared archive where scene strips wait until you need them again. Send a mixed selection in one step. ADR, VO, and weather badges stay on each strip, and you can search them there. Bring a scene back whenever the schedule has room.
Dynamic Navigation & Panel Dock
Tabs keep your unit stripboards, calendar, and constraints one click away. The panel dock manages characters, locations, and breakdown details project-wide. Its Dynamic Panel shows the controls that match your selection, whether that is one scene, many, or a shoot day.
Robust Undo & Redo
Undo and redo work in every workspace with standard keyboard shortcuts. Open Undo History from the Project menu to see every change and jump back to any point. Deep history lets you try a different arrangement without fear of losing your work.
Windows, macOS, & Linux
One app on every desktop your crew uses, including Linux through Flatpak. Double-click a project file in any file manager and it opens. The same .SimpleStrip file works on all three systems, so a mixed crew can share work without converting anything.
Merge Projects & Drag-and-Drop
Drop a .simplestrip file on an empty window to open it. Drop one onto an open project to merge it in. Drop a .fdx or .fountain screenplay on any window to import it. Combine work from several people without retyping anything.
Script View & Tagged-Script Import
Highlight breakdown items right in the script view, and every tag stays linked to its exact snippet. Already have a tagged script? SimpleStrips finds those tags and brings them in on import, so the work you did elsewhere is not repeated.
Walkie-Talkie Management
Assign industry-standard, department-specific walkie-talkie channels on your call sheets. Put everyone on channel 1 for a small shoot, or turn channels off entirely. A toggle covers NY/NJ channel conventions. Assignments appear on call sheets automatically.
Active Development
SimpleStrips is built by working filmmakers and shaped by real user feedback, with a feedback button right in the app. A What's New window shows what changed after each update. It is production-tested and stable, so it will not crash during critical scheduling work.
What's Next?
SimpleStrips is under active development, continuously refined based on user feedback. Each update makes it more intuitive and more powerful for real day-to-day production work.
v0.10.0 is planned to have minor cast flagging that put each young performer's time limit right on the call sheet, a light mode for the app, and extended UI customization.
But SimpleStrips is just the beginning. We're building a complete suite of production tools designed to work together seamlessly, bringing power, simplicity, and beauty to every step of your filmmaking workflow.
We're developing SimpleShots, a dedicated shot list and storyboard application that integrates seamlessly with your stripboard workflow. SimpleShots will import your SimpleStrips project files and automatically organize shot lists by each shoot day's schedule, ensuring visual planning stays synchronized with your production plan.
Priced Like Fade In
When the beta concludes, SimpleStrips will launch with two versions:
SimpleStrips LITE
Always Free. All Features Included.
Watermarked Exports. Reminders to Upgrade.
SimpleStrips
No Limitations. No Monthly Rent. Accessible Pricing.
Ready to Simplify Your Production Scheduling?
The professional tool designed for real production workflows, completely free during open beta.
100% free • Full features • Offline • Windows, macOS & Linux