Pre-Production: Shot list Research

"A shot list is a full log of all the shots you want to include in your film; essentially it is a checklist filled with minute details that will give your film a sense of direction and efficiency" (https://vimeo.com/blog/post/making-a-shot-list)

A shot list is useful as a structure to follow for a shoot to ensure all the shots you want or need are covered. On shoot days its very busy and often a lot of panic and a shot list helps take away some of that stress as what you need to do is in front of you. Having previously made shot lists before for various projects I have a rough idea of what to include and has been a value practice for me since the beginning of first year where I learned how to properly format one and what to include. Here is an example from my first proper one:

Whilst this was very useful to me and my project, I believe there is always room for improvement. This is why I am going to elaborate on my shot list for this project to give me more specific details. I will include in the grid:

• The scene number
• Script reference
• Shot number
• Shot type/framing
• Location
• Camera angle
• Camera movement
• Audio
• Character/Object

Once the shot types are specified, then the camera angles and movements are worked upon. The camera angle is where the camera is going to sit and capture the story, for example the camera angle may be eye level with the actor/object, at a high/low angle or even over the shoulder - there are so many possibilities about what angle the camera could be at, so this needs to be considered and noted in the shot list. The camera movements include whether the camera is going to be static, handheld, on a trakc and dolly etc. You also need to write in the shot list who or what is going to be in the frame. This enables the camera operator to know where the focus will be and the reason for that shot, with the shot description of what the scene will entail and the purpose behind the shot. I will be camera operator so it is useful for me to glace at on shoot and use it as a bit of a tick list.

Summary

It's been quite enlightening to research and understand the works that go into a shot list, and was fantastic to remind myself of its importance. Looking back onto my previous projects where I have used a shot list, I have really picked up on where I can now improve.
Creating these as well as a shot list will be very beneficial to our project, especially as we are changing locations a lot and really need to focus on what we are going to be seeing. Because we have so many locations it can get a little confusing.



References

https://vimeo.com/blog/post/making-a-shot-list