Film & narrative
Commercial Shot List Template
A commercial is usually cut into several lengths and several aspect ratios from the same day of filming. That means every hero shot needs framing that survives a crop to vertical and a cut to six seconds.
This list plans for that from the start.
Shots
21
Groups
4
Format
Checklist
The shot list
Hero product
- 01Product hero, centred with crop room on all sides
- 02Product rotating, slow
- 03Macro of the key detail
- 04Product entering frame
- 05Final lockup frame with empty space for logo and legal
Talent
- 06Talent wide, full body
- 07Talent medium
- 08Talent close, eyes to lens
- 09Talent using the product, hands close
- 10Genuine reaction or expression
- 11Talent in the environment
Lifestyle and context
- 12Establishing the setting
- 13The moment of need — before
- 14The moment of use
- 15The result — after
- 16Secondary characters or context
Format safety
One shoot, every format. Plan the crops rather than discovering them.
- 17Every hero shot framed safe for 16:9, 1:1 and 9:16
- 18Vertical-native versions of the three most important shots
- 19Extra head and foot room on all talent framing
- 20Loop-safe opening and closing frames
- 21Six-second cutdown candidate identified on the day
Tips for this kind of shoot
- Frame every hero shot for a vertical crop. Discovering the crop in post costs you the shot.
- Identify your six-second cutdown while you are still on set, and film it deliberately.
- Leave clean space for legal text. It always arrives late and it always needs somewhere to sit.
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.
How to use a list like this
How to Make a Shot List
A shot list is the difference between filming what you planned and filming what you happened to remember. Here is how to build one in about twenty minutes.
Shooting Order vs Story Order
The single most common cause of missing footage, and the reason spreadsheets are the wrong tool for a shoot day.