Shot list template: plan film and photography coverage

What is a shot list used for?

A shot list translates an intention into things you can actually capture. A film scene might need a view of the room, both sides of a conversation and a detail of an important object. A photography assignment might need an overall product view, a texture detail and a vertical composition. The list makes those needs explicit before attractive extras take over the day.

Adobe’s shot list guide describes film planning in terms of camera setups and coverage. Include scene and shot numbers, location, shot type, angle, movement, action and audio notes. These are useful starting fields, not a requirement to fill every production with technical jargon.

For film, read the script and ask what the viewer needs to understand at each moment. For photographs, read the deliverable requirements and ask which views communicate the subject. Start with the required result rather than a quota of shots. Ten versions of one attractive angle cannot replace a missing view the assignment depends on.

Keep the assignment in a design brief and the intended light, styling and atmosphere in a photoshoot mood board. The shot list should say what to capture, not reproduce the entire brief or reference collection.

Copy this shot list template

Copy the following fields into a spreadsheet, document or notebook. Use one record per planned shot. Put project name, version date, shoot date and the person maintaining the list above the records. If you do not yet know a lens or movement, write “test” rather than presenting a guess as an approved instruction.

1. Shot number: [stable identifier, such as 02B or P03].
2. Scene or series: [script scene number, or photography setup/category].
3. Shot size: [wide, medium, close-up or a plain-language crop].
4. Camera angle: [eye level, high, low, overhead or another specified viewpoint].
5. Movement: [static, pan, tilt, tracking or not applicable].
6. Lens: [planned focal length and camera context, or test before confirming].
7. Subject and action: [who or what appears, and what happens].
8. Location and setup: [space, background and lighting setup identifier].
9. Props and wardrobe: [required items and continuity details].
10. Sound and notes: [dialogue, relevant sound, crop requirements or technical questions].
11. Priority: [must-have or nice-to-have, with the reason when useful].
12. Status: [planned, captured, needs another take, approved omission or deferred].

For a photography shot list, rename scene to setup or series and replace movement with orientation when that is more useful. Keep crop and usage notes visible: a portrait-format cover and a landscape website header are different deliverables. Add a file or capture reference after shooting so “captured” points to something you can find.

For a small video, avoid squeezing a full paragraph into every cell. Describe the essential action in a sentence and keep more elaborate blocking or lighting plans elsewhere. The person checking coverage needs to locate the next shot quickly. A compact list with understandable notes is better than a dense technical document nobody can scan.

A fictional shot list example with four rows

This example is entirely fictional: a short video called Morning shelf shows an empty shelf, a ceramic cup being placed on it and the finished arrangement. Lens choices are tentative examples for a full-frame camera, not prescribed settings. Sound, camera position and framing would be tested in the actual room.

01A — Establish the shelf

Scene 1; wide; eye level; static; 35 mm to test; empty shelf with window visible; studio wall; no wardrobe or props yet; record room tone separately; must-have; planned.

01B — Place the cup

Scene 1; medium; eye level; static; 50 mm to test; a participant places a sage cup on the shelf; same wall setup; cup and plain sleeve required; record the placement sound; must-have; planned.

01C — Show the glaze

Scene 1; close-up; slightly high angle; static; close-focusing lens to test; cup surface and rim; same shelf; keep cup position consistent; avoid distracting reflections; must-have; planned.

01D — Optional finishing view

Scene 1; medium; low angle; slow supported move if feasible; lens pending test; finished shelf composition; same room; add one approved book; no dialogue; nice-to-have; planned.

For a still-photography version, drop the action and audio fields where unnecessary. Change 01B to a clean overall cup view and add the required image orientation. If the final use needs an overhead view of the interior, give it its own row instead of assuming the close-up covers it. Mark that change in the list before the shoot.

The stable identifiers matter when you rearrange these records. You can photograph 01C first without renaming it 01A. Story order, shot identity and shooting order serve different purposes; keeping them separate prevents a practical rearrangement from making earlier notes confusing.

Shot sizes and angles: a short working glossary

Shot size describes framing; angle describes viewpoint. The definitions below follow the basic categories in Adobe’s camera shots and angles guide. Agree on your team’s abbreviations and use a reference frame when a label could be interpreted differently.

Wide shot

Shows the subject in a substantial amount of its surroundings. Use a note to clarify how much environment must remain visible.

Full shot

Frames a person’s whole body from head to toe. For objects, describe the complete view you need rather than forcing a portrait term onto it.

Medium close-up

Commonly frames a person from around the chest or shoulders upward. Specify the crop if a gesture or garment detail must fit.

Close-up and extreme close-up

A close-up fills the frame with a face or important object; an extreme close-up isolates a smaller detail, such as an eye or a particular object feature.

Eye-level, high and low angles

Eye level places the camera around the subject’s eye height. A high angle looks down toward the subject; a low angle looks up toward it.

Overhead and Dutch angle

An overhead view looks down from above. A Dutch angle tilts the frame so its horizontal reference is slanted; it is not the same instruction as a camera tilting upward or downward during a shot.

Do not use a lens number as a substitute for framing. Record the intended image first and choose equipment that can produce it in the available space. “Show both people and the doorway” communicates a requirement; a focal length alone leaves that requirement unstated. Test the important view before committing the rest of the plan to it.

How to make a shot list in shooting order

Draft by story or deliverable, then arrange the working list by practical setup. Group shots that share location, light, background or props where that makes sense. Keep the original scene and shot identifiers. A separate shooting-order position can change as conditions change without erasing what the shot is.

1. Read the brief or script and identify the information every required image must convey.
2. Write a record for each needed view and assign its stable identifier.
3. Add references for difficult framing, movement or continuity decisions.
4. Review feasibility with the people handling camera, light, sound and styling.
5. Group compatible setups and identify any daylight, access or participant constraints.
6. Name the must-have images and the decision owner for dropping or changing a shot.

Include preparation and reset needs in ordinary notes. A food item that will be cut, a prop that gets wet or a background that must be rebuilt may influence the order. Do not let the convenience of one setup override safety, participant comfort or an essential story requirement. Use the list to reveal tradeoffs, not hide them.

If you are starting without a subject, choose one of these photoshoot ideas. If the images need a consistent visual approach, establish the art direction before expanding the list into unrelated variations.

Prioritize must-have coverage before optional experiments

A must-have shot fulfills an agreed delivery requirement or communicates information the final work cannot reasonably omit. A nice-to-have adds an alternative, atmosphere or experiment. Write that distinction beside each record. Everything labeled urgent is not a useful priority system; explain which missing image would prevent the project from working.

For a portrait session, the agreed head-and-shoulders image may be essential while a moving reflection portrait is optional. For a film scene, a necessary reaction or object detail may matter more than an elaborate camera move. There is no universal priority ranking: derive it from this assignment and review it with whoever approves the result.

Plan a simpler fallback for difficult essential shots. In the fictional shelf video, a static finishing view could replace an optional move, but it would not automatically replace the cup-placement action. When time shrinks, decide openly what changes. Record approved omissions so a blank status does not look like an unnoticed mistake later.

Shot list vs storyboard vs call sheet

A storyboard visualizes a sequence through drawings. Adobe’s storyboarding guide describes it as a series of drawings that tells a screenplay or script’s story. A shot list turns planned images into trackable capture records. Connect a drawing to its shot identifier when the composition needs a visual explanation.

A call sheet covers the day’s attendance and logistics. The daily call sheet overview describes a schedule telling cast and crew where and when to report, with supporting location and production information. It is not a substitute for a record of the individual images you need.

Use the smallest combination that explains the work. A solo still-life session may only need a short shot list and a setup reference. A scene with several people and locations needs additional coordination. Keep contact details and sensitive access information in the appropriate private logistics document rather than copying them into every visual reference board.

Use the shot list as an on-day checklist

Choose one current version and one person to update it. Mark captured shots promptly, but distinguish a capture from an acceptable result. Add “needs another take” if focus, action, sound or a required detail failed. Before changing setup, inspect the important images or footage and check that the intended view actually exists.

Record useful file or take references, notes for the edit and any approved substitutions. Before packing away, scan the must-have items rather than only counting checked boxes. A final check is particularly important when a similar-looking optional shot could be mistaken for the required one.

In Canvas Perch, image cards and notes can sit side by side on an infinite canvas, with checklists nearby. Keep reference frames next to a concise capture checklist rather than treating the board as a production scheduling system. The reminders and calendar documentation explains its personal checklist and reminder tools.