Yes-No-Maybe list

The Yes-No-Maybe list is a written document in which you assign every act conceivable for a production to one of three columns: Yes for what you do, No for what is excluded, Maybe for everything that depends on conditions. On our bookings it is part of the contract.

It is the central working document of the preparation, because it turns a vague question into one that can be answered. Instead of wondering before the shoot whether you can imagine all of it, you decide at the kitchen table line by line.

How it is filled in

Take time and do not fill it in on the shoot day. Go through every line on its own and answer it for yourself, not for a production you want to impress. What is No today can be Yes in a year — then the list is updated and signed again.

Be concrete. Entries such as nothing hard are worthless, because everyone understands something else by that. Usable entries name an act, a condition and, if needed, a limit.

And enter what sounds obvious to outsiders. No alcohol on set, no shots of the face in a certain setup, no work without a break beyond a certain duration: all of that belongs on the list if it matters to you.

Why the Maybe column is the most important

Yes and No are filled in quickly. The real work sits in the middle column, because that is where the conditions sit under which something goes. Exactly those conditions are what lead to misunderstandings on set if they are not written down.

A Maybe without a condition is useless and is gladly read on set as a soft Yes. A Maybe with a condition is a precise piece of information: with this partner yes, with an unknown one no. With prior agreement yes, spontaneously no. For one type of production yes, for another not.

The Maybe column is also the only one that moves usefully with experience. It is the place where you develop without touching the No-List.

Why a detailed list raises booking chances

Many newcomers fear that every No will cost them jobs and therefore fill the list vaguely. The effect is the opposite. A cast is decided by fit, and a detailed list makes fit checkable at all.

For the production a clear list is a sign of professionalism: this person knows what they are doing and will not be a surprise on set. An empty or evasive list produces the opposite, because the risk of a stop remains incalculable.

Before you sign

Have a copy with both signatures handed over and check that the list is named as an annex in the model contract. A list that is mentioned nowhere is hard to enforce in a dispute. The article setting limits treats the subject in more detail.