Shot lists and storyboards

A shot list plans the coverage for a scene — every setup you intend to get, in the order you intend to get it.

Shot lists are optional. A commercial or a tightly boarded sequence needs one; a dialogue day with a director who works on the floor may not.

Building a list

Add an entry per shot. Each one can carry:

- Shot size — ECU, BCU, CU, MCU, MS, MWS, WS, EWS, or Aerial - Angle — eye level, low, high, bird's eye, Dutch, over-the-shoulder, POV, or two-shot - Movement, lens, and notes - Which characters are in it

Tagging characters matters: it is what lets an actor see the specific shots they appear in, rather than the whole list.

Blocking and storyboards

Blocking marks record where people and camera sit in the space. Storyboard frames attach images to a shot, so a boarded sequence travels with the list rather than in a separate PDF.

Tracking on the day

A list moves through in development → locked → in progress → wrapped, and each shot is planned, completed, or cut.

Marking shots as you go gives you an honest answer to the only question that matters at 4pm: what is left, and can it be got before we lose the light. Cut shots stay on the list marked as cut, so the record of what you decided not to shoot survives.

What to do next

If your project has actors, attach them to characters.