Making a Shot List

You might think that the best Hollywood directors are creative geniuses; however, they have a more important character trait in common. They are great planners who aren’t afraid to intensely analyze a script or a location and map out the best angles to tell their stories.

For a successful shoot, it’s a great idea to build a detailed plan. Your goal should be to think about the scene or location ahead of time. Try to list all the shots you’ll need and determine the number of shots and style of shots you want to shoot. Be sure to identify elements like the location and participants, and then specify the angles you’ll need.

By making a detailed shot list, you can literally check off shots as you shoot. Typically, I use a spreadsheet application like Apple Numbers or Microsoft Excel. I can then sync the list to my phone and read it on the go. When it comes time to edit my footage, the shot list helps me identify the shots I have to work with. The extra planning at the outset will dramatically speed up your editing as well.