Free template
The video shot list template that covers every line of your script.
Fill it in below — roll type, the exact voiceover, camera angle, motion and duration — then download it as a CSV you can open in Sheets, Excel or Notion. No signup, no email wall.
Your shot list
A-roll, B-roll and C-roll
A-roll
Your primary footage — you talking to camera, the interview, the piece that carries the story. It sets the pace, so it gets the cleanest audio and the most deliberate framing.
B-roll
Supporting visuals that cover what you're saying: hands, products, locations, cutaways. B-roll hides your edit points and keeps the eye moving while the voiceover continues.
C-roll
Everything that isn't filmed on the day — screen recordings, graphics, stock, archive clips, text overlays. Treat it as a real shot with a real duration or it never gets prepared in time.
The rolls mix freely — the script decides the order, not a rule. What matters is that every sentence has a shot against it before you pick up a camera.
Camera angles worth naming
- Wide
- Establishes the room and your position in it. Good for openings and reset beats.
- Medium
- Waist up. The workhorse for explanation — close enough to read you, wide enough to gesture.
- Medium close-up
- Chest up. Use it for the hook and any line that has to land emotionally.
- Close-up
- Face or object filling the frame. Reserve it for the payoff, not the setup.
- Over the shoulder
- Shows what you're looking at. Perfect for screen, product or workspace lines.
- Top-down
- Flat lay for hands, tools and demos where depth doesn't help.
Camera motion
- Static
- Locked off on a tripod. Default choice — motion should mean something.
- Slow push in
- Builds tension across a line. Best on the hook or a reveal.
- Pull out
- Reveals context. Works when the line widens the idea.
- Handheld
- Adds energy and urgency. Use sparingly or it reads as sloppy.
- Pan / tilt
- Follows an action or connects two subjects in one take.
- Orbit
- Circles the subject. Strong for product beats, distracting for talking heads.
Common questions
What should a shot list include?
At minimum: the script line being covered, the roll type, the camera angle, the camera motion and an estimated duration. Anything less and you end up making creative decisions on set, which is where shoot days get lost.
Can A, B and C-roll be mixed in one video?
They almost always are, and the mix should follow the script rather than a fixed pattern. A single 60-second short can open on A-roll, cut to two B-roll shots, drop into a C-roll screen recording and come back for the payoff.
How long should each shot be?
Match the line. Read the sentence out loud at your delivery speed and add a second of handle at each end so the editor has room to cut.
Do I need a shot list for short-form?
Especially for short-form. Sixty seconds can carry fifteen shots, and without a list you'll film ten of them and improvise the rest.
Or let ContenBrain fill the list in for you
Paste your script into the studio and every sentence comes back as a shot — roll type, the exact voiceover to record, a recommended angle, motion and duration — ready to tick off as you film. Seven days free.