A shot list is a document listing every shot you intend to film, usually recording what the shot is, how it is framed, where it happens and what you need to film it. It is made before the shoot and used during it.
Its job is simple: make sure nothing is missed. Film and television productions have used them for as long as there have been schedules, because the alternative — filming from memory — fails reliably as soon as a day gets long or complicated.
What goes in one
- A description of the shot — what the camera sees
- Shot size — wide, medium, close-up, extreme close-up
- Location — where it is filmed
- Camera or device, if you use more than one
- Time of day, if the light matters
- Camera movement, if any is planned
- Duration, if you are cutting to a fixed length
- Notes — anything that would otherwise be forgotten
How it differs from other documents
| Document | What it is | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Script | What is said and what happens | Before everything |
| Storyboard | Drawings of how each shot looks | To visualise framing |
| Shot list | A checklist of every shot needed | On the shoot day |
| Shooting schedule | What is filmed when, and by whom | To plan the day |
| Call sheet | Who arrives where, and at what time | Crew logistics |
A storyboard shows you what a shot looks like. A shot list tells you whether you have got it. Solo creators and small teams generally need the second more than the first.
Who uses one
Anyone who films something they cannot easily film again. That includes wedding and event videographers, real estate and product photographers, documentary crews, and — increasingly — YouTubers and solo creators, who have exactly the same problem with none of the crew.