Filmmaking: the Shot List. Why & How to Make One

Great preparation can make a huge difference to your film production. A well developed screenplay is an essential starting point. But then there’s a whole… list… of stuff to prepare before the day of the shoot.

While we all want to focus on the fun, creative stuff, making sure as much as possible is thought about and dealt with before is key to a productive shoot. In fact, if you don’t prepare well before, you’ll have less time for the fun creative stuff during filming. That’s because you’ll probably find yourself having to deal with all the stuff you didn’t prepare for while filming.

One of the biggest causes of filmmaking disasters is lack of preparation. Of course, in filmmaking there are times and events you simply couldn’t prepare for. But the more you prepare, the less unexpected events there are likely to be.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t improvise and be flexible while filming. But in my experience the more you prepare, the easier it is to have this freedom.

What is a shot list?

Recently, I have written about writing Screenplays, creating Storyboards, using the 180 Degree Rule and when to shoot Close Ups. In those posts I describe how to think about the shots that will make up your film. So a shot list is an important element as part of imagining how you want your film to look and from that you will list the shots you will need.

So, even if you’ve never seen a shot list before you’ve probably guessed what it is. Yes, it’s simply a list of shots. The lost will be as detailed as you want it to be. Each shot will be written down with relevant information to help you and the crew what is happening and when.

Essentially, a shot list is a schedule but with nothing but camera and shot information. A shot list typically includes:

The scene number

Shot number

Location

Shot description

Framing

Action/dialogue

Actors involved

Props needed

Extra notes

Types of shot

When it comes to categorizing, there are two general types: a static shot and a follow shot. A static shot is usually created with the camera fixed to a tripod or other kind of stand. Meanwhile, a follow shot is where the camera physically follows a moving subject.

Then there’s a variety of moving shots like pan, tilt, tracking, dolly and so on.

If you have a storyboard, you can use it to create your shot list. Other documents to refer to are the schedule and the screenplay.

Type of shots

So, shots can be categorized using general terms like Close UP (CU), Wide Shot (WS), Medium Close Up (MCU) and o on. Then, each shot can also be “customized” according to your vision for the film. Not all close ups are the same!

So then you can add further clarification in the shot list. What is the intended angle of the shot? Eye level, looking down or looking up? Will the shot be static?

More details are then added in the description. This might just be the action taking place. But you could also add notes on anything unusual you are planning for the shot.

Extra tool for communication

The shot list, like the storyboard, is a great tool for helping the crew understand and prepare for each shot. If you don’t have a shot list or storyboard, then you will have to keep every shot in your head and communicate it a number of times.

Now, for very small productions with very few crew, this can work. But the bigger the production, the more people will be involved, the more vital that communication with the cast and crew is clear and well organised.

This is one major reason movies are expensive to make. Not the equipment or location hire, but rather the scale of the production. Because having more crew adds a greater burden to the organisation.

But if you do have a larger team, then the shot list becomes even more essential.

Helps you “see” your film

A good screenplay can give you a real sense of what the movie might look like. But give 2 different directors the same script and they’ll make 2 very different movies.

The process of going through the screenplay, creating a storyboard and shot list, encourages you to really think about how you want the film to look. In my experience, facing the practical challenges of making the film really forces you to think about the story.

For example, David and I were discussing a scene in our next Silent Eye episode to be shot next month. We had a problem because we wouldn’t be able to get all the cast to the location. So we thought more deeply about the scene than we had until now.

In the end, the solution we came up with came from the story and developed our understanding of it. I think we even improved the scene by coming up with an idea which would also solve our logistical problem. And all this happened 2 months before filming.

So, you can really take this as an opportunity to develop your story further as well as it being a practical “chore” of listing all the shots. You’ll be armed with a deeper understanding of the story, even if you end up changing the shot on the day. This in turn will support any “on-the-fly” changes you make.

Being realistic

Perhaps when reading or writing the screenplay, you imaged a series of complex shots. But in the reality of the production, things change.

I think I read this in an biography about Orson Welles. The story came from his days making radio. In one production, a guy creating the background sound effects was scrunching up paper as a substitute for footsteps on dry leaves. Welles instructed the foley artist to “go outside and get some real leaves for a truer sound”. The foley guy pointed out that it was spring and there were no dry leaves outside. Welles pondered for a few seconds before replying, “Use paper.”

Why that story stuck in my mind is because it really connects to my experience of filmmaking. While we are dreaming up a story, anything is possible. But when it comes to the reality of what you have available, that’s where the film is created.

Filmmaking more than any other medium is “what we imagine” vs “what can be done”. And the film lives at their meeting point. So, creating a shot list is very much part of this process.

You wanted a crane shot dropping 50 meters and then following the main characters as they get in a car and drive away. But in the cold light of reality, you don’t have the budget for it. Or rather, if you spend that much of the budget on that one shot, then you can’t have that prize location for the final scene.

That’s what filmmaking is, ultimately. Negotiating your vision with what’s possible and sometimes you have to make tough choices. What’s more important to the story, the crane shot or the perfect location? Making your shot list is when you will be confronted with these choices.

Keeping on top of the production

In my experience, organising the shooting of a film is a giant puzzle. Your job in creating a shot list, as well as a schedule and storyboard, is one of moving all the pieces around to create an efficient production.

Obviously, the shot list is more for the camera department than the rest of the crew. But as everything is interconnected, one of the toughest challenges is to make sure each department is on the “same page”. In other words, Scene 1, Shot 7 of the shot list has to match with everything else prepared for Scene 1.

If for some reason the script is changed, then all other documents including the shot list will have to be changed too.

As you can imagine, the bigger your production, the more crew you have, the more complicated and overwhelming this process can become. For this reason, when I make films with small budgets I always keep my cast and crew to the absolute minimum.

A checklist on set

Last but not least, the most obvious purpose of a shot list is to keep track of where you are. Each shot can be checked off so you have an easy reference to make sure you got everything.

Also, most shot lists contain shots you need and shots you would like. Obviously, the priority is to make sure you get all the shots simply can’t leave out. Then you can think about those extra shots you’d like to have, time and resources permitting.

Here’s a free shot list template from FilmSourcing.com

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