Shot List Template
Quick Tip!
A key component to making an effective shot list is being detailed! Vague shot lists will lead to confusion on-set and slow down production significantly.
Helpful Staff for this Topic
Introduction
At the Digital Corps, on-set production composes a large percentage of work done by the Video Team. One component that is crucial to all video production work at the Digital Corps is a shot list. Shot lists are necessary for every non-interview shoot to ensure that all shots are captured accurately and efficiently.
Shot Lists Defined
Shot lists lay out all necessary visual and compositional information for a given shoot day. These are primarily made for the cinematographer or director of photography to keep track of shots, but are also helpful for other crew members in regards to setup and shoot schedule. Overall, they help the crew stay on track while on set so everyone will know exactly what needs to happen that day.
Shot lists also aid the producer in pre-production as they can clearly identify which locations will have the most shots or the most difficult shots, and schedule accordingly.
The Digital Corps Template
When it comes time to create a shot list, use this template to ensure organization and thoroughness. Just like the pre-production sheet, you can download and edit this PDF for each shoot.
Using the Template
Here are definitions for each field heading in the Shot List Template along with the information it requires:
- Scene: This refers to the specific scene from the script in which a shot is taking place. Scenes are usually just represented as a number.
- Shot #: This refers to the specific shot number within a scene. Shots can be represented both as a number, or as a number followed by a letter. (e.g. “1” or “1A”)
- Shot Type: This field is used to identify a shot’s specific type/size. Here you should use the conventional industry standard name for each shot. (e.g. “close-up”, “medium shot”, “wide shot”, etc.) Abbreviations are also appropriate to use here.
- Shot Description: This field is used to give a description of what is happening in a shot. It is important to both note the actions of the talent on screen as well as the actions happening with the camera (if there are any). For example, if a shot is supposed to capture the talent from the side, it would be useful to write something like, “side angle shot of [talent] as he sits at his desk.”
- Movement: Movement refers to any camera movement within the shot. Some common forms of movement you will likely use at the Digital Corps are: tilts, pans, tracking shots, and dolly-ins/outs. If a shot has no camera movement, simply use the term, “static.”
- INT/EXT: This refers to whether the shot is interior or exterior, hence the abbreviations “INT” and “EXT.” It’s important to know that this refers to the actual shooting environment and not what’s in the script. For example, a script may have a scene that takes place outside, but will be shot on studio green screen. In a case like this, you would mark it as an interior shot since the actual shooting location is indoors.
- Location: This refers to the shooting location of a shot. Again, you should put the actual location that will be used for shooting and not the location used in the script.
- Sound: This field refers to whether audio will be recorded synchronously for the shot or not. More often than not, you will be putting “yes” in this box, but in some cases audio may not be necessary and in that instance it’s appropriate to write either “no” or “MOS” (mit out sound).
