Shot List Template (Copy-Paste Layout, No Signup)

Shot List Template (Copy-Paste Layout, No Signup)

Below is a shot list layout you can copy straight into a spreadsheet or plain text document. It has the columns a working set actually uses — not every field a shot list could theoretically have, just the ones that earn their space on a clipboard or a phone screen between setups.

The template

SHOT LIST — [PRODUCTION TITLE] — Scene [##] — [LOCATION]
Day [#]  ·  [DATE]  ·  Est. scene time: [XhXXm]

#   Scene  Type    Description                          Lens   Movement   Cast          Priority   Status
1   14     WS      Establish diner exterior, day         24mm   Static     —             Should     [ ]
2   14     MS      Sarah enters, scans room               35mm   Handheld  Sarah         Must       [ ]
3   14     2SHOT   Sarah sits across from Tom              50mm   Static     Sarah, Tom    Must       [ ]
4   14     OTS-T   Tom's lines, favoring Sarah in bg       50mm   Static     Sarah, Tom    Must       [ ]
5   14     OTS-S   Sarah's lines, favoring Tom in bg       50mm   Static     Sarah, Tom    Must       [ ]
6   14     CU      Sarah reacts to Tom's reveal            85mm   Static     Sarah         Should     [ ]
7   14     INSERT  Coffee cup set down on table             100mm  Static    —             Nice       [ ]

Adjust the header block to match your scene, and repeat one block per scene for the day. If several scenes share a location, group them under one location header and list scenes in shooting order, not script order.

Column-by-column guide

# — Sequential shot number for the scene or the day. Keep numbering unique enough that the 1st AD and script supervisor can both call out "shot 4" and mean the same thing.

Scene — The scene number this shot belongs to, pulled straight from your locked script breakdown. If your scene numbers include letters (14A, 14B), keep them — don't renumber for the shot list.

Type — The shot size or configuration: WS, MS, CU, OTS, INSERT, and so on. If the shorthand isn't second nature yet, our shot list abbreviations reference covers every common code plus camera movement terms.

Description — One line, present tense, action-focused. "Sarah reacts to Tom's reveal," not "This is the shot where we see Sarah's face as she processes what Tom just told her." Long descriptions don't get read on a busy set.

Lens — The planned focal length, if decided in prep. This is often adjusted on the day by the DP, but having a starting point speeds up the first setup of each shot.

Movement — Static, handheld, dolly, pan, tilt, or crane. If a shot needs a specific rig (slider, gimbal, jib), note it here so the grip department can pre-rig before the setup is called.

Cast — Which cast members are actually in frame for this specific shot, not just in the scene. This matters for planning stand-ins and for knowing who needs to be camera-ready versus who can be in the honeywagon.

Priority — Must, Should, or Nice. Musts are the minimum shots needed to cut the scene (typically the master and essential reaction coverage). Shoulds add coverage options for the edit. Nices are safety-net shots — extra angles, inserts, alternate takes — cut first if the day runs long. Setting this in prep, not in the moment, is what makes compression decisions fast instead of contentious. Our step-by-step shot list guide covers how to set these priorities scene by scene.

Status — A simple complete/incomplete checkbox. On paper this is a pen mark; digitally it should update in real time so the 1st AD always knows the true state of the day without walking over to ask.

What this template deliberately leaves out

No column for estimated setup time per shot — in practice that number is almost always wrong and creates false confidence. Track elapsed time at the day level instead, against your shooting schedule, not shot by shot.

No separate storyboard-frame column. If you're boarding the scene, keep the boards as a companion document referenced by shot number rather than embedding thumbnails in the list itself — it keeps the working document scannable. For guidance on whether boarding this scene is worth the time at all, see storyboard vs. shot list.

Using it on the day

Print one scene block per page for paper sets, or keep it on a tablet if your crew works digitally. Whoever calls the shots — usually the director with the 1st AD tracking status — should be the only person marking shots complete, so there's one source of truth for what's actually in the can. The script supervisor cross-references completed shots against coverage to flag if a scene is missing an angle before the company moves on.

Skip the re-typing

If you're already tracking your script breakdown and schedule digitally, retyping scene numbers and cast names into a fresh spreadsheet for every shot list is wasted prep time. Production Slate's shot list feature generates shot rows already linked to the right scene, location, and cast from your breakdown, with priority flags and live status built in — so the list above becomes a starting structure rather than a blank page you fill in from scratch every time.