Categories: List Templates

Shot List Template

A shot list template is a list of all the shots or scenes being or will shot. The shot list contains all the details of the shots in the film. It contains the details like what the shot is, where it will happen, what will happen in this shot and which actors are part of it. You can say it is a detailed checklist for movies. The shot list is made by the director and cinematographer before starting the film shooting. They go through all the aspects of scenes and then give a real shape to a shot list. A shot list template is a to-do list for all the shots that are being or will be captured during the filmmaking. The more details you write in a shot list the more it will be easier for your team to understand the health of a film.

Elements Included in a Shot List

There are certain essential elements in the shot list such as:

Shot Number: Numbers are allotted to the scenes or shots according to their occurrence. It contains details like which shot will take place.

Size/Frame: This means how many subjects or actors will take part in this particular frame and how close the subject will be.

Angle: This tells the cameraman at which angle he has to take the shot.

Location: This tells the team at which location the scene will take place and where they need to go for the next shot.

Lens: It is the detail of which lens is needed for this particular shot.

Time of Day: It tells the team at what time they have to take the shot.

Description: It tells the team what will happen in all the shots in the film.

Props: It tells the filmmaker team what types of things are needed in this shot.

Movement: It tells the team how the camera will move to take the shot.

Time: It tells what the shot will be taken, whether at night, day, noon or at any time of the day.

Why There is a Need of Shot List in Cinematography?

As it described in its introductory section, it contains all the details of the shots or scenes which are being shot and will be shot in the film. It works like a checklist for the filmmakers to check the progress and details of coming shots. As you might have noticed, some films don’t regularly shoot scenes. If there is one scene that is going on, then they take you back to the starting point or might take you forward to show the link of shots in the film. That is why a shot list is created before actually starting the film shooting. It helps to keep the scene organized and connected.

Importance of Shot List:

A shot list template is a road map to a great movie. A well-planned shot list can make you a hero in just one film. You might also forget some things in your film if you don’t have a well-organized shot list. It also sometimes becomes quite difficult to control the huge team, crew, props and actors. So a shot list can help you in this to control all the things. It also helps to keep the true essence of the film or video. The direction team used this shot list to line up the shots for the film. A shot list also helps the team to decide what scenes are in queue to be shot. It helps the team to know what scenes are coming next and what they have to do for the next scene. Moreover, it keeps the filmmaking process and operation smooth and comfortable.