Free Shot List Template (Fillable PDF and Google Sheets) With an Example
A shot list template turns the film in your head into a plan your crew can shoot. This one is free. Type straight into the fillable PDF, print it, or make your own copy in Google Sheets. Each row holds one shot, with columns for size, angle, camera move, lens, sound, shooting order and time. Below, you’ll find a filled-in example and a guide to putting your shots in the right order.
TL;DR: One Row, One Shot
Download the free shot list template below. Give every shot its own row. Fill in the shot size, angle, move and lens, then number the Order column by setup, not by script order. Tick the box when a shot is done.
Download the Free Shot List Template
Pick your format. The PDFs are fillable, with the shorthand cheat sheet on page 2. The Google Sheet opens as your own copy.
What’s in the Shot List Template
The PDF is two pages, landscape, in US Letter or A4. The fields are fillable, so you can type in Adobe Reader, Preview or your browser, or print it and write by hand.
- Header: project, scene, director, shoot day, page and date
- Done: a checkbox to tick off each shot on the day
- Scene and Shot: numbers that match your script and storyboard
- Description: what happens in the shot, in one line
- Size, Angle, Move and Lens: the camera plan
- Cast / props: who and what must be on set
- Sound: SYNC, MOS or WILD, so the sound team knows what to record
- Order and Est. time: your shooting order and how long each shot should take
- Page 2: a shorthand cheat sheet and four rules for the shooting order
Each page holds 14 shots. The Google Sheet holds 60, adds dropdowns for size, angle, move and sound, and adds up your total time for you.
Shot List Example: How to Fill It In
Here’s the same six-shot scene from our storyboard template, turned into a shot list. A woman finds a note pinned to her front door.
- Copy the shots from the script or storyboard. One row per shot. Scene 12 has six, so it takes six rows.
- Describe the action in plain words. “MAYA walks up the path to the porch.” Anyone on the crew should see the shot from that line.
- Fill in the camera columns. Shot 2 reads WS, EL, TRACK L, 35mm: a wide shot at eye level, tracking left on a 35mm lens.
- List who and what is needed. Shot 4 only needs the note, so Maya’s actor can wrap early.
- Mark the sound. Shot 1 is WILD, recorded for wind and a distant dog. Shot 4 is MOS, with the creak added in post.
- Set the order and time. The insert of the note is shot 4 in the script but sixth on the day.
Quick question before you shoot: which shot would you cut first?
Mark it on the list before the day starts.
When the sun drops or a location runs late, you won’t have time to decide. You’ll just cross it off and keep moving.
On the example, it’s shot 5. The scene still works without it.
How to Set the Shooting Order
The Order column is where a shot list saves you hours. Crews don’t shoot in script order. They shoot by setup, because every time the camera and lights move, the clock runs.
| Script order | Shot | Setup | Shooting order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EWS farmhouse | Wide, from the road | 1 |
| 2 | WS Maya on the path | Track on the path | 2 |
| 3 | MS Maya at the door | Porch, facing the door | 3 |
| 5 | OTS door open a crack | Porch, same side | 4 |
| 6 | CU Maya | Porch, turned around | 5 |
| 4 | INS the note | Small crew, after wrap | 6 |
Four rules cover most scenes:
- Group shots that share a setup. Shots 3 and 5 both face the door, so they go back to back.
- Shoot the wide first. It locks in where everyone stands for the closer shots.
- Move from wide to tight, then turn around once. Shot 6 faces Maya, so the camera turns only after the door shots are done.
- Save inserts for the end. A close-up of a prop needs a camera and one person, not the whole crew.
For more on how many angles a scene needs, see our guide to film coverage.
Shot List Shorthand
Page 2 of the download spells out the codes, so the DP, AD and sound team all read your list the same way.
| Column | Shorthand you’ll use most |
|---|---|
| Size | EWS, WS, FS, MS, MCU, CU, ECU, OTS, 2S, INS |
| Angle | EL (eye level), HA (high angle), LA (low angle), BEV, DA, POV |
| Move | STATIC, PAN, TILT, PUSH IN, TRACK, CRANE, HH (handheld) |
| Sound | SYNC, MOS (no sound), WILD (sound only), VO, PB (playback) |
| Other | PU (pickup), B-CAM, VFX, INT / EXT, D / N |
New to the codes? Our guide to the types of shots in film shows each shot size with a film example, and camera angles covers the rest.
PDF or Google Sheets: Which Should You Use?
- Use the PDF for short films, school projects and anything you want on paper. Print one copy for the director, one for the DP and one for the AD.
- Use Google Sheets when the list runs past a page, when several people edit it, or when you want the total time worked out for you. Sort by the Order column and you have your shooting order.
- Use both. Plan in the Sheet, then print it or fill in the PDF for set. Phones die. Paper doesn’t.
Print the shot list bigger than you think you need.
On set, it lives on a clipboard, in the rain, under a work light at 2 a.m.
Tape a copy to the back of the monitor too. Then nobody has to ask, “What’s next?”
For where the shot list fits in the whole process, see the stages of film production. To learn how to break a script down into shots in the first place, read our shot list guide. Once the shots are set, put the shoot day on paper with our free call sheet template. Before you plan shots, list the cast, props and gear in every scene with our script breakdown template.
On set, the script supervisor checks each shot off the list with our script supervisor template, and the 2nd AC logs every take on the camera report template.
FAQs About Shot List Templates
Who Makes the Shot List?
The director writes it, usually with the director of photography. The first assistant director then uses it to build the shooting schedule. On a small shoot, one person often does all three jobs.
Can I Use This Template for a Photo Shoot or a Wedding?
Yes. Leave the Move and Sound columns blank and use Description and Cast / props for the poses and groups you need. The checkbox works the same way. Tick each shot as you get it.
Can I Use This Shot List Template for My Own Projects?
Yes. It’s free to download, fill in and print for school, personal and paid projects. Share this page with your crew or class. Please don’t sell the template itself.
The Final Cut on the Shot List Template
A shot list template gives every shot a row and every row a plan. That’s how you stop forgetting shots on the day.
Download the PDF or copy the Google Sheet, then list one scene this week. Start with the description, fill in the camera columns and set the shooting order last.
Then mark the shot you’d cut first. When the day runs long, you’ll be glad you decided early.
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.