Glossary
What is a shot list?
A shot list is the ordered plan of every shot to be captured on a production day, including framing, location, subject and which deliverable each shot serves.
It is the document that determines how much a production day actually yields, and it is where the difference between one film and an asset library is decided. A shot list built around a hero film produces a hero film. A shot list built backwards from a defined set of deliverables produces all of them from the same hours.
For clients, the important thing to understand is what a shot list commits you to. It is a plan, not a contract — but it is costed. Adding shots on the day means something else comes off, because the ten hours do not expand. That is the trade-off worth discussing before the shoot rather than during it.
What a shot list specifies
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Framing and orientation | Whether a shot is captured for 16:9, 9:16 or both decides if it can be used natively later |
| Location and setup | Setups drive time; moving between them is the hidden cost of a day |
| Subject or talent | Availability is usually the binding constraint, not the camera |
| Which deliverable it serves | The field most shot lists omit, and the one that turns a day into a library |
| Audio requirement | Clean audio needs different conditions from good pictures |
| Priority | What gets dropped if the day runs short — agreed in advance, not improvised |
What to check before you approve one
- Does every shot map to a deliverable? Shots with no destination are how days get filled with material nobody uses.
- Is vertical blocked in, or assumed? If 9:16 is not on the list, you are getting crops.
- Is anything with on-screen text listed twice? Text position never survives a crop.
- Is there a priority order? Days run short. Deciding what drops under pressure is a decision, not an accident.
- Does it account for setup and reset time? A list that assumes ten hours of filming has planned a day that cannot happen.
In practice
On the DFDS Seaways campaign DOT had a five-hour window on a working ferry with no possibility of a second attempt. The shot list came out of that day complete, plus material that had not been planned for, because every format had been blocked before anyone arrived on set.
See how production days are planned across each service on the services overview.
Last updated: