Shot List Generator

What this generator does

Guarantees coverage instead of suggesting shots. The photography prompt pages on this site give you an idea for one image; this produces a working list where the completeness is the point. The core sizes are laid down first, one per setup, and only then are extras added — which is why asking for more extras can never eat into the coverage, and why the finished list is re-read to confirm every setup has exactly one of each core size before it is shown.

How to use this tool

1. List your setups — one scene, location or subject per line.
2. Choose how many extra shots each setup gets beyond the core three.
3. Press build for a numbered list grouped by setup.
4. Copy it onto the call sheet or a phone.

Understanding the controls

Your setups

One per line — a scene, a location, a subject, a product. Duplicates are merged and blanks are dropped, so a stray empty line does not become a setup with no name.

Extra shots per setup

On top of the wide, medium and close that every setup always gets. Extras are drawn without repetition within a setup, so one setup cannot end up with two inserts and no over-the-shoulder.

Worked examples

3 setups, 0 extras

Nine shots — a wide, a medium and a close for each.

3 setups, 1 extra

Twelve shots. The extra is an insert or an over-the-shoulder, and differs between setups.

Asking for 99 extras

Capped at the two sizes that exist beyond the core three, and the page says so.

A setup's shots

Never two of the same size — that is checked from the finished list, not assumed.

Common use cases

• Planning coverage for a short film, music video or corporate shoot
• Making sure a one-day shoot comes back with something cuttable
• Briefing a second camera operator on what you need from them
• Structuring a photography session so the set is properly covered
• Teaching coverage to somebody who has only ever shot masters

How this generator works

Each setup is given the three core sizes first, in a fixed order, then as many of the remaining sizes as you asked for, drawn without repetition. Every shot picks a camera move and an intent from a bank written for that size specifically — what a close-up is for is a different thing from what a wide is for, so they do not share a bank. The finished list is then re-read: every setup must have exactly one of each core size, no setup may repeat a size, and the shot numbers must run 1 to n across the whole list.

Randomness and fairness

The draw decides which extra sizes a setup gets, and which camera move and intent each shot is given. The coverage itself is not random at all: the three core sizes are placed before anything is drawn, which is why the guarantee holds on every list.

For how randomness is produced across the whole site, see how Generate Random works.

Assumptions this tool makes

• Each line is one setup that will be covered from a single position or area.

Limitations and good to know

• It lists shots; it does not block a scene. Where the camera physically goes is a decision on the day.
• Lenses, exposure and lighting are not generated, because they depend entirely on the location and the kit.
• The order within a setup is coverage order, not shooting order — you will usually shoot the wide last, when the light has settled.
• It has no view on continuity, screen direction or the 180-degree line.
• The list is not saved, which matters more here than elsewhere: copy it before you leave for the location.

Common mistakes

Shooting only the master and one close-up

That is the exact gap this list exists to close. Without a medium, the cut between a wide and a close is a jump the audience feels.

Listing every camera angle as its own setup

A setup is a scene or a position, and the list gives you the angles within it. One setup per angle produces three times the list and no more coverage.

Treating the extras as optional coverage

They are variety. If time is short, drop an extra — never a core size.

Practical tips

• Tick shots off on the day; the numbered list is designed to be worked through rather than read.
• Shoot the inserts while the crew resets — they need almost nothing and they save the edit repeatedly.
• If a setup only gets one take of each, get the close first while the performance is freshest.

Privacy and your data

Your setup names stay in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored between visits, and nothing you type is written into the page address. Analytics records that the tool ran and how many shots it produced, never a setup name.

Frequently asked questions

Why are exactly three sizes always included?

Because a wide, a medium and a close are what an editor needs before a scene can be cut at all. Everything else is variety. The list guarantees the three and treats the rest as optional, which is the order of priority on a real shoot.

Can I use it for stills rather than video?

Yes. Treat each setup as a subject or a set-up on the day. The coverage logic — establish, work, detail — is the same, and the camera moves can simply be ignored.

Does it know how long the shoot will take?

No, and it deliberately does not guess. Shot counts do not translate into hours without knowing the location, the crew and the setup time.