What a shot list is, and how we build one with you

A brief tells us what you want the pictures to do. A shot list tells everyone on set what to photograph, in what order, and how long each set-up should take. On every editorial and commercial commission, we build one with you before the day.

What goes on it

Each line on the list is one frame or one set-up. For each, we write down:

• The subject: a product, a look, a person, a room.

• Where it will run, and in what shape: a web banner, a vertical for social, a full page.

• The location or backdrop, and the light it needs.

• Styling and props.

• A priority, so we know which frames must happen and which are a bonus.

How we build it

We start with the places the images will appear. A brand that needs a homepage banner, three social verticals and twelve product pages needs those shapes on the list, and the crop affects how each frame is composed. From there, we group frames by backdrop and light, so the crew is not resetting the same set three times.

The draft goes to you for comments. Once it is signed off, our producer folds it into the call sheet, alongside the times, the location, the crew and the talent.

On the day

The list is printed and taped beside the tether. As each set-up is shot and approved on screen, it gets ticked off. If we are running long, the priorities tell us what to protect and what can move to a second day. If a frame nobody planned turns up between set-ups, we shoot it as well. Those tend to end up in the edit.

After the shoot

The shot list becomes the checklist for delivery. Every line maps to a file, named the way your team asked, so nobody has to search a folder of a thousand frames for the one banner they need.

If you have a brief and no list yet, send us the brief. We will come back with a draft.