Why You Need A Shot List
My first feature was a science fiction monster movie called Tasmanian Devils. As is usually the case with first features, we did not have enough time or money, and so 12 pages a day of monsters and blood explosions was to be expected.
I was ready for the challenge, and I was as prepared as I could be. I built extensive shot lists before the shoot – creating custom spreadsheets to manage the hundreds of scenes and thousands of shots. Then, my AD and I rearranged our shooting days to make the perfect plan.
This was all very exciting. I would print out the shot list daily, and then he would sit with a big smile…
But despite my enthusiasm, it quickly became apparent that we had a problem. Every day, we would show up to discover a new surprise. The set would be in ruins (destroyed by a random snowstorm), the camera would break, or the helicopter would be missing! (I am not making this up.)
As a result of these hiccups, the shot, list, and schedule became almost meaningless every day within minutes of call time.
Imagine this: My AD and I are out there, standing in the middle of a snow-covered woods, scribbling over the shot list with a pen. We frantically combine and cross out shots, calculating times in the margins and drawing arrows everywhere!
It didn't take long for that beautiful,well-planned shot list to look like a crumbled-up rag covered in red ink. Eventually, we would write a new shot list by hand.
At that point, I thought there must be a better system for this. So I looked online and was shocked to realize there wasn't. The state-of-the-art shot listing drew all over a piece of paper in the woods. This seemed wild to me.
I remember sleeping on my mother's floor while shooting the film. And one night I told my mom how everything in the film industry is digital except for arguably the most importing thing – the shot list. So, that night, I decided to make life easier for filmmakers. I borrowed money from my mom and started designing and building a new Shot Lister app.
Here is a video of Shot Lister –
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s84T2iD8R3A
Shot Lister lets you build, organize, schedule, and, most importantly, change things while you're shooting in a fast and easy way. I have field-tested it, and it's revolutionized the way I shoot. I hope it helps other filmmakers, too.
It'd be great if it catches on, not only so I can keep upgrading it but also pay my mom back. Happy shot listing.
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Zach Lipovsky is a film director with a strong VFX background who started work in Vancouver's indie film community after high school. He is now developing two feature scripts with Telefilm Canada, another with Rhombus Media, and new media projects with Bad Robot and Machinima. He is also in post-production on an original SyFy Channel movie, bringing his unique visual style to the commercial world in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
