How to Plan a Film Shoot: Storyboard, Shooting Plan and Call Sheet Tutorials

Name: Previs Shot
Author: Previs Shot

Advanced TipsNew2026-07-3010 min read

Previs Shot MCP Basics: Connect Claude (and Other AI Tools) to Your Projects

What MCP is, how to turn on the Previs Shot MCP connection, how to pair it with Claude Desktop, Claude Code and other AI tools, and a full tour of what an AI assistant can read, write and export once connected.

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Getting StartedNew2026-07-3012 min read

Shot List Basics: A Complete Guide to the Previs Shot SHOTS View

What a shot list is, why it matters on set, and a complete walkthrough of the Previs Shot SHOTS view — display modes, custom columns, selection mode, and more.

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Advanced Tips2026-08-268 min read

Previs Without a Previs Team: Blocking Shots Fast When the Shot List Keeps Changing

Traditional storyboarding is slow because a revision means redrawing. Recording camera blocking as structured fields makes rework a two-tap edit — how to previsualize a scene, and a commercial's shooting day, without a previs team.

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Getting Started2026-08-267 min read

Storyboard vs Shot List: The Difference, and Whether You Need Both

A shot list is the plan; a storyboard is the picture of the plan. What separates them, how scenes contain shots, and why a combined shot list storyboard is one dataset rather than two documents that drift apart.

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Getting Started2026-07-319 min read

From Shot List to Wrap: The Complete Previs Shot Workflow

The full path a scene takes through Previs Shot: planned in SHOTS, scheduled in SCHEDULES, printed onto a call sheet in CALL SHEETS, and logged take by take in TAKES — one real scene, start to finish.

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User Stories2026-07-318 min read

A Day on Set: Following One Scene from Shot List to Wrap

One real demo scene, followed through a single shooting day across SHOTS, SCHEDULES, CALL SHEETS and TAKES — including the shot that didn't get a clean take before the day ran out.

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Advanced Tips2026-07-317 min read

Local, iCloud and Preset: What Each Project Tab Actually Holds

Why Local, iCloud and Preset in the sidebar look like three project lists but aren't: Local is what you edit, iCloud is a backup you can only download once the local copy is gone, and Preset isn't a project at all.

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Advanced Tips2026-07-318 min read

Export Basics: Turning a Shot List, Schedule or Call Sheet Into PDF or Excel

How the Export button works across SHOTS, SCHEDULES and CALL SHEETS, the Shot Lists vs Storyboard layout choice, scoping an export to specific scenes, and the PDF vs Excel (VIP) format options.

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Advanced Tips2026-07-317 min read

Preset Basics: Save a Project's Setup, Reuse It on the Next One

What Previs Shot's Make Preset feature actually captures (columns, frame settings, camera setup — not your scenes or shots), how to save a project as a preset, and how to start a fresh project from one.

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Cinematography2026-07-319 min read

Equipment & Lens Basics: The Rig and the Glass Behind Every Shot

What each of Previs Shot's seven EQUIPMENT options and six LENS types actually means on set, and how to plan a shot list that specs out rigging and optics, not just the creative brief.

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Getting Started2026-07-318 min read

Takes & Continuity Basics: Logging Coverage On Set

The difference between a shot and a take, how Previs Shot auto-numbers takes the way a real camera department does, NG/KEEP/OK scoring, and the Continuity Logs report that ties a whole day's coverage together.

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Getting Started2026-07-319 min read

Call Sheets Basics: Building a Call Sheet From Your Real Schedule

What a call sheet is, how the CALL SHEETS view is organized, and the difference between importing a row from your directory/schedule and typing one in by hand.

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Getting Started2026-07-317 min read

Crew Directory Basics: Departments, Contacts and Address

The shared directory behind every Previs Shot project — departments and roles, crew/talent/client contacts, and saved locations — and why filling it in once pays off on every call sheet afterward.

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Advanced Tips2026-07-319 min read

Merging Projects in Previs Shot: Combine Two Storyboards Into One

How Previs Shot's Merge Previs Project feature works, when two units or two drafts of the same sequence need to become one project, and what happens to scenes, shots and the two original files when you merge.

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Advanced Tips2026-07-318 min read

Export & Import Basics: Sharing a Previs Shot Project File

How to export a Previs Shot project into a single .previs file, how to import one someone sends you, and what happens when the file you're importing turns out to be a copy of a project you already have.

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Getting Started2026-07-317 min read

Copying, Deleting and Editing Shots in the SHOTS View

The three edits you'll use constantly in the SHOTS view: editing a cell inline, duplicating a shot to spin off a variation, and deleting one — plus what Insert Above/Below are for.

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Getting Started2026-07-3011 min read

Storyboard Basics: What a Storyboard Is (and How It Becomes a Shot List)

What a storyboard is, its place in pre-production, how it differs from a shot list, and how to carry a scene from loose storyboard panels to a structured shot list in Previs Shot.

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Getting Started2026-07-309 min read

Shooting Plan Basics: From Script Scenes to Shooting Days

What a shooting plan actually is, why productions shoot out of script order, and how to group scenes into shooting days in Previs Shot's SCHEDULES view.

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Cinematography2026-07-3011 min read

Movement Basics: The Seven Camera Movements Every Shot List Needs

What each camera movement means, how it changes pace and tension, and how to plan a movement sequence in the Previs Shot shot list.

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Cinematography2026-07-2811 min read

Shot Type Basics: From Eye Level to Insert Shots

What each camera angle and shot type means, how it shapes a scene emotionally, and how to plan an angle sequence for a dialogue or reversal scene in the Previs Shot shot list.

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Cinematography2026-07-2610 min read

Shot Size Basics: From Extreme Long Shot to Extreme Close-Up

What each shot size means, what it does for your story, and how to plan a wide-to-tight sequence in the Previs Shot shot list.

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