The Shot List: Plan Your Shooting Day on One Page

Start from the script, scene by scene. Read each scene and ask, what does the audience need to see? Write that down as a numbered shot: Scene 3, Shot 1, wide view of the kitchen. Keep each description short enough to read at a glance with a camera in your hand.

Group shots by location, not by story order. Films are almost never shot in the order you watch them. If scenes 2, 7 and 9 all happen in the garden, shoot all of them while you are there. This saves setup time and keeps your actors from changing clothes six times.

Plan a master shot for every scene. A master is one wide shot that shows the whole action from start to finish. Capture it first, then move in for closer shots. If time runs out, you can still cut the scene together from the master alone.

Add coverage. Coverage means extra angles of the same action: a close-up of the face, a shot of the hands, a view over a shoulder. These give you choices in the edit and let you hide small mistakes.

Mark the must-haves. Put a star next to the shots the story cannot live without. Shoot the starred shots first, while everyone is fresh. The rest are bonuses.

Estimate your time honestly. Beginners often guess ten minutes per shot. Plan for twenty to thirty, including setup, rehearsal and a retake or two.

Keep a clipboard copy. Print the list, and cross off each shot the moment you finish it. A fast glance at the page tells everyone what is done and what is left. At the end of the day, you will know exactly whether you need a second session.