Guide: The 7 Shot Sequence Shot List

Picture this, you are out shooting a video for a client or for your channel. Things aren’t going great, you’re getting flustered, what you had planned isn’t working out. There’s a more interesting story developing that you want to document instead, but you haven’t planned for it. How do you capture that story on the fly with no time to plan?

In comes my go-to formula for documenting during unexpected conditions:

The 7 Shot Sequence

Below is a quick reference guide to the shot list I use every time things go a little different than I had planned while shooting a video. If you follow this, you will capture some sort of usable sequence for your video. Even though this all about “7 shots”, I tend to use this formula over and over during one shoot if there are multiple things happening that I want to document. It gives me a good starting point if I am feeling overwhelmed and i’m not sure what to shoot.

Watch us talk through and shoot a 7 shot sequence here:

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7 Shot Sequence Shot List

01

Establishing Shot

This is the shot that sets the scene, establishes location, and gives context to your sequence. This can be an aerial shot, tripod or hand held shot, a timelapse. Think “where am I?”. Feel free to capture a variety here, but make sure you capture at least one.

02

Wide/Medium Shots

This is where you will show what’s happening and can be either wide or medium shots so you get an idea of what’s happening in the sequence you are shooting. Don’t forget to shoot for at LEAST 10 seconds so you know you have a solid clip.

02

Close-Up Shots

Two close up shots showing details of the activity you are documenting will help your edit feel more dynamic. Show interesting details, textures, colors etc.

01

Abstract Shot

Getting an abstract shot in the bag allows you to spice up your edit but it can also be used as a transition clip from one scene to the next. Could be a macro shot, a quick whip pan shot, or something a little more dreamy and out of focus.

01

Unexpected Shot

This is where you should get creative, you’ve got everything else in the bag, now get a shot that’s unexpected, something that’s not obvious that could add interest to the sequence. A point of view shot could work here, or a shot from inside an object or through something like a mirror or glass.

7 Shot Work Sheet

We’ve created a free worksheet you can download and print off for your next shoot, or simply add the 16:9 version to your phone and mark it up in an app. This gives you the ability to visualize your sequence before you shoot, even if it’s a quick couple of rough sketches.