Events & live
Birthday Party Video Shot List
A party film is mostly candids, but there are four set pieces that must not be missed: arrivals, the cake, presents, and the goodbyes. Everything else is texture.
Film the decorated room before anyone arrives — it is the only shot with a deadline.
Shots
26
Groups
5
Format
Checklist
The shot list
Setup
- 01Decorated room, empty
- 02Table, balloons, banner detail
- 03Cake before it is cut
- 04Food and drink laid out
- 05Presents stacked
- 06The birthday person getting ready
Arrivals
- 07Guests arriving at the door
- 08Greetings and hugs
- 09Presents being handed over
- 10Room filling up
The party
- 11Wide of the room, busy
- 12Games or activities
- 13Kids playing, if relevant
- 14Conversations and laughter
- 15Food being eaten
- 16Candid faces throughout
Set pieces
The four moments the film exists for.
- 17Cake carried in, lights down
- 18Singing — wide and close on the birthday person
- 19Candles blown out — the money shot
- 20Cake being cut and shared
- 21Presents opened, one by one, with reactions
- 22Any speech or toast
Close
- 23Winding down
- 24Goodbyes at the door
- 25The room after
- 26Birthday person at the end of the day
Tips for this kind of shoot
- Be in position for the candles before the cake comes in. It happens once and it happens fast.
- Film the decorated room before the first guest arrives.
- Get every guest on camera at least once. It is what makes the film worth keeping.
Use this list on your next shoot
Storeyz keeps your shots in story order for planning and regroups them by location for the day — then you tick them off on your phone as you get them.