Shot List TemplateEvery shot. Planned, numbered, ready.

How to make a shot list, step by step

Folded in from our how-to guide. A shot list is built from the script or the storyboard, one row per camera setup, in script order.

• 1. Break the script down by scene — Read each scene and mark where the visual beats change. A single scene runs 5–25 shots depending on action density. If the script is still rough, structure the scenes first — a shot list is much easier to build from a scripted scene than from an idea.
• 2. List the shots the edit needs — Walk through the scene as the audience will see it: the establishing wide, the medium on the speaker, the close-up on the reaction, the cutaway. One row per shot. A 1-minute scene has 8–15 shots; a 30-second commercial 10–20; a 10-minute short 60–120.
• 3. Assign shot IDs — Scene number plus letter: 3A, 3B, 3C. The letters stay in script order even when the shoot order changes. Never reuse an ID across scenes — two "1A" shots on one set is how coverage goes missing.
• 4. Fill camera and framing with the DP — Shot type (WS, MS, CU, ECU, OTS, POV, insert), angle (eye-level, high, low, dutch), movement (static, pan, tilt, dolly, push-in, handheld), lens. This is the column set the DP lights and the grip department rigs against.
• 5. Time every shot — Read the action out loud and time it. A flat "about 3 seconds" across the list makes the day estimate fiction. Each minute of finished scene takes roughly one hour to shoot at standard coverage.
• 6. Rank priority — Mark shots essential, important, or nice-to-have. When the schedule slips — it will — the 1st AD needs to know which shots can be cut without losing the scene.

Shot list example: a 2-minute coffee-shop scene

Ten rows from a real breakdown. Total: 25.5 seconds of edited footage — at roughly one hour per finished minute, about 25–30 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of takes, so 90 minutes on set.

• What the example shows — Scene 3 opens on a wide, moves in through medium and close-up coverage of Anna, cuts to Ray's reaction, then pans to the kid entering. Every row carries type, angle, movement, duration and lens, so the DP and the 1st AD read the same plan.

Common mistakes that ruin a shot list

• Missing shot IDs — "Close-up of Anna" and "close-up of Anna again" both existing is a nightmare on set. Every shot gets one unique ID.
• Skipping camera movement — "Medium shot" without "handheld" or "dolly in" is a different lighting and grip setup. Miss the column and the crew guesses at wrap time.
• No priority ranking — When the day runs over, the AD needs to know which shots are must-haves. A priority column saves the scene.
• Fictional durations — A flat per-shot guess makes the total day estimate worthless. Time each shot individually by reading the action out loud.
• No updates after rewrites — The script changes during production. A shot list that does not update leaves the 1st AD scheduling against a version that no longer exists. In M Studio the board is the shot list, so a rewrite changes the shots with it.
• Shot list before storyboard — Board first, then build the list from the boards. Storyboarding is the creative pass; the shot list is the logistical one. Working in that order keeps logistics from limiting the visual ideas.

Shot list template formats we offer

• CSV shot list template — Opens directly in Google Sheets, Excel, and Numbers. Ships with three worked example rows and the full 18-column schema, ready to share with the crew and edit live during production.
• PDF shot list (printable) — Landscape US Letter with example rows, blank rows, and a shot-size legend. For DPs who prefer printed shot lists on set instead of a phone screen.

How to use a shot list template on set

• 1st AD drives the list — The 1st assistant director owns the shot list on set. They know which shots are done, which are left, and what the day's schedule is.
• Cross off as you shoot — Mark complete shots in real time. It's the easiest way to know what's left before lunch, what slipped, and what still needs coverage.
• Script supervisor cross-references — The script supervisor logs takes against the shot list. Take 1, 2, 3 per shot. Their notes go back to the editor with the footage.
• Don't over-plan single-cam pickups — For single-camera reshoots and pickups, a simplified shot list works better than the full production list. Customize the template for the context.