Short Film Shot List Board

A short film shot list is a numbered plan of every camera setup a scene needs — shot size, lens, angle, and movement — written before the shoot day. This board shows a complete seven-setup coverage plan for a two-person dialogue scene, plus the shot-size ladder, the 180-degree rule, and a copyable template.

Updated

A working shot list for a two-person dialogue scene, built the way a director and DP would board it: the full shot-size ladder from extreme wide to extreme close-up with a visual example of each, a lettered coverage plan (master, over-the-shoulders, clean singles, inserts) with lens choices, a diagrammed 180-degree rule, and the craft notes that keep a set moving — shooting wide to tight and matching eyelines — plus a shot-list template you can copy column for column. Swap in your scene and walk on set with a plan. Made with Soleil Clusters.

THE SHOT LIST

One scene · full coverage · every setup planned before call time

A 2×3 visual grid — On set (6 images) — view it on the board above.

A shot list is a schedule, a budget, and a style guide in one
Plan the day, then shoot the plan — A shot list is a schedule, a budget, and a style guide in one

The Shot-Size Ladder

Learn the vocabulary once — every list is written in it

Geography and scale; the character belongs to the world
EWS — Extreme Wide — Geography and scale; the character belongs to the world
Full body; blocking and body language read clearly
WS — Wide — Full body; blocking and body language read clearly
Waist up; the conversational workhorse
MS — Medium — Waist up; the conversational workhorse
Detail as punctuation — an eye, a trigger, a ring
ECU — Extreme Close-Up — Detail as punctuation — an eye, a trigger, a ring
The face is the scene; save it for the beats that earn it
CU — Close-Up — The face is the scene; save it for the beats that earn it

Scene 1 — Kitchen Argument

Two actors, seven setups, half a day

Coverage plan

1AMaster — whole scene, both actors in frame25mm
1BOver-the-shoulder favoring ANA50mm
1COver-the-shoulder favoring SAM50mm
1DClean single — ANA, from the turn to the exit85mm
1EClean single — SAM, full scene85mm
1FInsert — the unsent message on the phone100mm macro
1GCutaway — kettle reaching boil50mm

A 2×4 visual grid — The seven setups (1 images and 7 notes) — view it on the board above.

  • 1A · Master · 25mm Whole scene, both actors in frame. Shoot it first, while energy is highest.
  • 2B · OTS on ANA · 50mm Over SAM's shoulder, favoring ANA. Full scene, matched to 1C.
  • 3C · OTS on SAM · 50mm Over ANA's shoulder, favoring SAM. Mirror the framing of 1B.
  • 5D · Single on ANA · 85mm Clean single, from the turn to the exit. Hold after the last line.
  • 6E · Single on SAM · 85mm Clean single, full scene. Keep rolling for reactions.
  • 7F · Insert · 100mm macro The unsent message on the phone screen.
  • 8G · Cutaway · 50mm Kettle reaching boil. Forgives any cut.
The whole scene in one frame; everything else is commentary
1A — The master — The whole scene in one frame; everything else is commentary
A matched pair; keep headroom and look-room symmetrical
1B and 1C — Over-the-shoulders — A matched pair; keep headroom and look-room symmetrical
Where the performance lives; shoot them before the inserts
1D and 1E — Clean singles — Where the performance lives; shoot them before the inserts

Coverage logic
Shoot the master first while energy and light are fresh, then work wide to tight — makeup, continuity, and performance all degrade gracefully in that order. Inserts and cutaways go last; they forgive everything.

The 180-Degree Rule, Diagrammed

Two actors, one dashed line, and every camera position that works

ANA

SAM

The 180° rule
Draw a line between your two actors and keep the camera on one side of it. Eyelines stay opposed, screen direction stays constant, and the audience always knows who is looking at whom. The green arc is your side — every setup on this list lives there.

Lenses and Movement

What the glass and the dolly are saying

Lens language
24mm — context and energy, space stretches.
35mm — how the eye sees a room.
50mm — honest, neutral, documentary.
85mm — intimacy and compression; backgrounds melt.

Move with a reason
Static — observation. Push-in — realization. Handheld — instability. Dolly — grace and inevitability. If the move has no motivation, lock it off.

The camera is a character with opinions
Motivated movement — The camera is a character with opinions

A night-interior exposure

  • Shadow floor — #10131A
  • Window fill — #31405C
  • Practical warmth — #E8A13D
  • Key highlight — #F4EFE6

Steal the Template

Copy the columns, swap in your scene, print it for the AD

Shot list template

Shot list template — the columns that matter

One row per setup. Sort by location, then by lens — never by script order.

• Shot number — scene number plus setup letter (1A, 1B…); keep letters stable once called on set.

• Size — EWS, WS, MS, MCU, CU, ECU. The edit needs a ladder, not one size.

• Lens — focal length states distance and feeling before the actors do.

• Movement — static, pan, push-in, handheld, dolly. Name the motivation.

• Subject and action — who is in frame and what must happen in

American Cinematographers (ASC)
How to Make a Shot List — StudioBinder
No Film School

Frequently asked questions

What order should you shoot a scene's coverage in?

Shoot the master first, while performances and light are freshest, then work from wide shots to tight ones. Continuity, makeup, and energy all degrade over a shooting day, and they degrade most gracefully in that order. Inserts and cutaways go last because they forgive almost any mismatch in the edit.

What is the 180-degree rule?

Draw an imaginary line — the axis of action — between your two subjects and keep the camera on one side of it for the whole scene. This keeps screen direction constant and eyelines opposed, so the audience always knows who is looking at whom. Crossing the line mid-scene disorients viewers unless you bridge it with a neutral shot on the axis or a visible camera move.

How many setups does a two-person dialogue scene need?

Classic full coverage is five setups: a master, two over-the-shoulders, and two clean singles, plus any inserts or cutaways the scene calls for — seven is typical. On a small crew, each setup costs roughly 20 to 45 minutes of lighting, rehearsal, and takes, so a seven-setup scene is about half a shooting day.

What lens is best for close-ups?

On a full-frame camera, the classic close-up range is 65mm to 100mm; an 85mm flatters faces by compressing features and melting the background. A wide lens like 35mm can also work for close-ups, but it forces the camera physically near the actor, which reads as intimate or confrontational rather than neutral.

What is the difference between a shot list and a storyboard?

A shot list is a text inventory — shot number, size, lens, movement, and subject for every setup — and it doubles as the on-set scheduling document. A storyboard draws the actual frames. Most shorts get by with a shot list alone; storyboards earn their cost on complex action, stunts, and VFX sequences where exact framing must be agreed in advance.

Image credits — Unsplash: Avel Chuklanov, Simone Impei, Indra Projects, Jack Chen, SAJAD FI, Yoad Shejtman, Mustafi Numann · Pexels: dp singh Bhullar, Kyle Loftus, Ron Lach, El gringo photo, Benoit Vacherie, RDNE Stock project, Mike Jones, freestocks.org, Amar Preciado