Tips for Making a Shot List When Producing a Vlog, Commercial, or Film

Making a video is a powerful way to tell your story. But creating that YouTube vlog, commercial, or a feature length film isn’t as simple as hitting the record button on your camera. Making a video requires a huge amount of planning, and that planning begins with a shot list. 

A shot list is a document that outlines all the camera shots that will be used in each scene of your production. It commonly includes details about each shot’s location, camera angle and movement, shot size, audio, and more.  

Here, you’ll learn 12 elements to include in your shot list and how to organize them to maximize your efficiency. Plus, download our free template to start making your shot list today.

Making Your Shot List

A shot list expands your vision for the project into specific details. Move through your script or storyboard from beginning to end, adding each shot to your shot list in chronological order. Will it be a wide shot? Are you using a dolly? How will you be capturing the audio?
Making your shot list as detailed as possible will keep your crew in sync with your vision, and will keep the production moving forward.

Organizing Your Shot List

Once your shot list is complete, reorganize it to maximize your efficiency. This often – but not always – means grouping together shots that are filmed in one location. From there, use your shot list to schedule the remainder of your project. Your goal is to be strategic in your filming, so that you’re not wasting time or blowing your budget.

Let’s pretend your first shooting location will be at a beach. One strategy could be to film all the beach shots that require a specialized camera – even if this means filming out of sequence. This will minimize the number of camera setups, saving you valuable time. 

Other times it might make sense to prioritize those beach scenes in a different way. Have an actor who has limited availability? Your shot list lets you see that actor’s shots so that you can work around any scheduling conflicts.

Elements of a Shot List

Each video production is unique. Its shot list will be, too. But one thing remains consistent: more planning now leads to fewer questions – and problems – later. Here are 12 elements that are typically included in a shot list:

1. Scene

Working with your script or storyboard, open your shot list template and assign a number to each scene. Generally speaking, a scene is a unit of story that takes place in one location and time. Doing a smaller shoot like a YouTube video or commercial? You might only have one scene.

2. Shot

Consider it a new shot anytime you need to stop filming in order to reposition the camera or to adjust the lighting. Assign a number to each shot, increasing it by one each time.

3. Location

Depending on where you’re shooting, you may need to cough up cash for a film permit. This is often charged as a daily rate for each location. It maximizes your efficiency – and minimizes your budget – to wrap up one location’s shots before moving to the next location.

4. Description

Shooting by location means you’ll likely be filming out of sequence. Including a short, simple description of the shot’s main action or dialogue will keep everyone on track. 

5. Camera Angle 

When making a video, different camera angles are effective in conveying the emotion of your story. Planning them in advance ensures you’ll capture the right tone the first time (and avoid needing to reshoot scenes). 

6. Shot Size

Close, medium, and wide shots are each useful in telling your story. Wide shots require the most preparation and time to set up, so you’ll likely want to start with these. As you move into tighter shots, you can remove items from the scene if they’re no longer in view.

7. Camera Movement

Most camera angles and shot sizes can be used as either static or moving shots. Adding camera movement to the scene lets you move between different angles.

8. Equipment

Your camera angle, shot size, and movement will determine the equipment you need for the shot. Need a camera stabilizer, dolly, or drone? List your equipment requirements on your shot list. If you realize that your vision is bigger than your budget, see which shots could be accomplished in a different way but achieve a similar effect.

9. Subject or Focus

A subject can be a person, a prop, or a setting that is the focus of the shot. This column of your shot list is also useful in making your call sheets for each day of production.

10. Audio, Sound Effects, Music

A windy day or nearby traffic noise will affect how to best capture the audio. Plan which microphones will be best for each situation. Prioritize the recording of dialogue during production; sound effects can be added in post-production. 

Will your video require music? Most do. You can hire a composer to write music specifically for your project, or you can source pre-recorded music to fit the mood of your video. Always ensure you secure the appropriate license agreements for any music you use.

11. Time Estimate

When estimating production time, consider how long it will take to film and to set up. If a particular shot will eat up a lot of time, decide if it’s a priority in telling your story. 

12. Editing Notes

Include a column in your shot list where you can add notes about which take to use and its timecode. Upon completion of filming, an editor should ideally be able to work from your shot list without any additional instructions.

Making a Video with our Shot List Template (It’s Free!)

When making a video, you’re balancing multiple priorities: keeping actors happy, keeping your production on schedule, and keeping your budget in check. Your shot list is an invaluable tool in managing your project. Whether you’re a novice vlogger or an aspiring filmmaker, feel free to use our template, or go to Filmsourcing.com to download the original template to personalize your shot list. 

Your story is waiting to be told – start today.