Prepare a Log Sheet

During a film shoot, you’ll be capturing a lot of

footage. Because your actors made some mistakes or
because you wanted to take a few extra shots for
safety, you may end up with several versions of the
same angle or shot. During editing, these shots will
look similar, which makes it hard to know which shot
was the one you liked the best. For this reason, you
can make notes about each shot captured on a shot
log sheet, which makes editing much easier and
ensures you don’t miss the best take from each angle.
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• A shot log can be completed by an assistant
director or by the director if you have a small
crew. Ideally, the shot log will be the sole
responsibility of one person during the shoot.
Not using a shot log sheet makes editing very
difficult if you don’t edit the film straightaway,
because you’re likely to forget which shots
were the best.
Prepare a Log Sheet Cont. 3
In Film making and video production, shot logging is the process by
which shoot the data is captured during a film or video shoot. During
the shoot, the camera assistant typically logs the start and end time
codes of shots, and the data generated is sent on to the editorial
department for use in referencing those shots. At the same time,
information such as scene/slate number, camera ID and take is noted.
Where there are other technical systems producing metadata, their time
codes and settings are also noted. At the same time, non-technical
information such as continuity and take selection information is usually
recorded as part of the same process. This shot logging process was
traditionally done by hand using pen and paper, and is now typically
done using shot-logging software running on a laptop computer that is
connected to the time code generator or the camera itself.
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Some shot log sheets can get very complicated,
especially for big‐budget films, because they
record information about the footage,
including details of time code, type of lens,
focus, and filters, which isn’t always needed
for smaller productions. The following list
includes useful information for you to note on
your shot log sheet when filming.
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• Shoot date: This is simply the date that you’re
filming the shots you log into your shot log sheet.
This can be very useful when importing your footage
and editing because it helps to track your footage and
refer back to your shot log sheet at a later date.
• Page number: Here you enter the page number for
the shot log sheet you’re completing. You may find
that you end up working with more than one sheet, so
it’s important to number the pages. That way you can
keep the shots in the order they were filmed.
Prepare a Log Sheet Cont. 6
• Project name: Here’s where you complete the name
of the film — a working title or a final title — you
are shooting. Including the name helps make sure that
you don’t get your shot log sheets mixed up with
others you’re working on at the same time.
• Production company: Enter the name of your
production company or the name of the director here.
This can be useful if your shot log sheets go missing
because if they’re found, the finder may be able to
send them back to you.
Prepare a Log Sheet Cont. 6
• Clip number or name: This is where you enter the name of the clip
or the number of the clip on the media card you’re recording to. (The
clip is a segment of video recorded as a file to the media card or
tape.) Some cameras will show the name of the clip when you watch
the footage back on the camera. If your camera doesn’t show the clip
name, just enter the clip number, which will be “1” for your first
shot.
• Scene number: This is where you enter the scene number that
you’re filming. This is useful because you may end up shooting more
than one scene in a day, and because you may end up filming your
scenes out of order. By recording the scene number, your shot log
sheet will help you organize your clips when importing and editing
your footage.
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• Take number: Here you enter the number of times a shot has been
taken. (The number of “takes.”) This number resets every time you
change the angle or shot. If you set up a close‐up, for instance, the
first recording you make from this angle gives you the take number
of 1. If you retake this shot without changing the angle, the take
number will then be 2. Tracking takes helps you keep track of the
number of times you filmed a shot. Usually, of course, the last take is
the best.
• Shot description: This is where you enter the details about the shot
you’re filming. Here you may wish to note information about the
shot type, the characters in the frame, and what happens in the shot.
This information helps you identify the shot when importing and
editing the footage.
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• Comments: Here you can enter any notes about
the shot and how it went while filming. Include
information about any mistakes made, reasons for
retaking the shot, or if it was a good take or not.
Here you can also make notes about which was
the best take. This is the most useful part of the
shot log sheet when importing and editing your
footage because these notes can help you decide
whether to use the shot in the final edit or not.
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