Crew Management
Track crew availability
Mark the dates a crew member cannot work so FirstSlate flags conflicts before you book them on a shoot day.
Updated 2026-07-10
Keeping a crew member's unavailable dates on file means FirstSlate can warn you the moment you try to book them on a day they already said no to, instead of you finding out on the phone the night before a shoot.
Where to find it
Dashboard → Crew, then click the Availability button on any crew member's card (or row, in list view).
Mark a crew member unavailable
In the Unavailable dates panel:
- Pick a date and, optionally, a short reason (for example "Out of town").
- Click Add.
- Repeat for any other dates, then click Save availability.
Each date shows in the list with its reason, if you added one, and you can remove a date at any time with the X next to it.
The crew calendar
Click Calendar in the toolbar on the Crew page to open a month view for your whole roster. Each day shows a dot for unavailable (someone marked out) and a dot for booked (someone already on a call sheet that day). Click a day to filter the roster down to crew who are free that day, useful when you are trying to staff a shoot and want to see only who is actually available.
Conflicts in the call sheet builder
When you add a crew member to a shoot day in the call sheet builder and their unavailable dates include that shoot date, FirstSlate shows a conflict warning right on their row ("marked unavailable on [date]") and a conflict count badge on the crew section header. The crew picker also flags them with a Conflict chip before you even add them. This is a warning, not a hard block, you can still book someone over a conflict if the date changed or they told you it is fine now, but you will see it before you send.
Common questions
Can my crew set their own availability?
No. Availability is something you, the producer, manage from the Crew page. The self-service onboarding link a crew member fills out does not include an availability step, so if someone tells you they are out on certain dates, you add those dates yourself.
Does marking someone unavailable remove them from a call sheet they are already on?
No. Availability only affects the warning shown when adding or reviewing crew on a shoot day, it does not touch existing call sheet rows.
Does an unavailable date block me from adding someone to a call sheet?
No. FirstSlate shows the conflict clearly but never prevents the add, since plans change and producers sometimes know more than the calendar does.