What Is a Shot List? Here's How to Plan Your Production Day

Films and TV shows share common tasks at all degrees of the creative process. Whether it is a Hollywood blockbuster or a microbudget movie, the common system is the same. The script will usually have scenes titled EXT. to symbolize remotes or INT. to symbolize interior shots. The actors will usually adhere to the announcement. And at some point of the main shoot, you have to constantly use one of the most essential tools of the trade: the shot list.

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What is a shot list?

Shot lists give an explanation for the entirety that takes place in a scene by breaking down the pictures critical to seize it. Shot lists are distinct from a storyboard, which is a visualization of what the scene will appear like. Shot lists are hints on a technical level, laying out each and every detail, angle, and composition the crew will need to pull off to bring that vision to life. Typically, the director and cinematographer work together to assemble the integral ingredients, with the occasional assist of an assistant director. 

What’s on a shot list?

The time period can also suggest a numbered list of shots in order, but the system is more thorough and complex—especially considering that movies are not often shot in sequence with the script. Like portray a flower, the flower is the goal, but so much is required to get there. There’s the paintbrush, the oil or acrylic paint, cotton or linen canvases, and the color palette. Although there are variations, there are a few fundamental sections that make up a shot list:

• Scene number: Which scene in the script are you shooting?
• Shot number. This designates the shot’s placement within that scene.
• Description: A brief rationalization of what occurs in the shot.
• Type of shot: Specifically, what variety of shot is it? Examples encompass close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots.
• Angle: Where will the camera be positioned in relation to the subject’s eye level? Examples consist of low angle, high angle, and bird’s-eye view.
• Lens: What lens is in the camera? Examples include 35mm, 23mm, and 18mm.
• Movement: Does the digicam pass on a dolly, pan, or stay still? Is it handheld or static?
• Location: Inside or outside, often denoted as INT. or EXT.
• Time of day. Morning, day, or night—also at the cease of every slug line in the script.
• Audio: Equipment to file audio, whether or not it’s a growth or lav mic.

Shot list example

Why are shot lists important?

Serving as a master guide all through production, a shot list is an asset the filmmaking crew can’t stay without. Because principal photography is a chaotic technique with hundreds of human beings on set, a shot list continues matters in order. It additionally helps to hold things on budget and schedule, as it units a hard timeframe for putting up, taking pictures the shot, and breaking down. The plan, laid out, can be shared with the rest of the crew so everyone is on the identical page.

Tags: Creators, Crew, Pre-production, Getting Started, Cinematography, Directing, Film, Television, Director of Photography