Step 1 (of B3)
Make a Shot List
In order to use your time efficiently when making your video, you will need to have a good idea of the shots you need to get. A shot list is a list of those shots, with specific information about them, written in the order you intend to shoot them. Creating a list in this way helps you get specific about exactly what you want to show your audience and, therefore, what shots you will need to record. Here is a step-by-step guide to making a shot list.
A) Make a list of all your scenes. This doesn't have to be in the order that you intend to have them in your final video. You just need to start thinking of things in terms of scenes in order to make a shot list.
Scene List
Make a Shot List
In order to use your time efficiently when making your video, you will need to have a good idea of the shots you need to get. A shot list is a list of those shots, with specific information about them, written in the order you intend to shoot them. Creating a list in this way helps you get specific about exactly what you want to show your audience and, therefore, what shots you will need to record. Here is a step-by-step guide to making a shot list.
A) Make a list of all your scenes. This doesn't have to be in the order that you intend to have them in your final video. You just need to start thinking of things in terms of scenes in order to make a shot list.
Scene List
B) Now, make a list of shots that you will need for your scene. It is very important to take many more shots than you think you will need because once you begin editing, you may find you need something that you hadn't thought of. Alos, make sure to take shots from many different distances. Especially with "How To" videos, you will need to have wide shots (WS) and extreme closeups (ECU) as well as the more common medium shots (MS) and close ups (CU). Using a piece of paper or a doc, draw up a something like this, with the name of the scene on the left and a list of shots on the right.
C) In addition to writing down the content and type of shot you want to shoot, also include any shots that you intend to get from the internet. Any still or moving image that you get from the internet is referred to as either "archival" or "found footage." Make sure you follow NWP's rules for fair use of someone else's footage. (Link to come)
For those of you who have made storyboards, this is exactly the same thing, but using words instead of pictures. If you choose to, you may make a storyboard instead, but since this takes so much more time, you must be sure that you can do it and still stay on schedule with your production.