Pre-production — Script, Storyboard, Shot List & Risk

Pre-production Pack

Deliver the full pre-production package for your summative short — the documents that make Week 12 shootable.

Week 11

• Script
• Storyboard
• Shot list
• Risk assessment v1

• 3–4 minute target runtime
• Realistic for available kit and locations

• LO1 — Produce a shooting script, storyboard and shot list that align.
• LO3 — Complete a risk assessment specific to your shoot.
• LO3 — Schedule a shoot day that is actually achievable.

• Script formatting and scene numbering
• Storyboarding for communication, not for art
• Shot list as a director/DoP contract
• Call sheets: who, where, when, what for lunch
• The one-line schedule and why it saves the shoot

1. 01

   Break down the script

   Highlight every location, cast member, prop, costume and effect. One colour per department.

2. 02

   Storyboard the key beats

   Not every shot — the three moments the film hinges on. Stick figures are fine.

3. 03

   Build the shot list

   One row per shot: scene, shot, size, lens, movement, sound, notes. Cross-reference the storyboard.

4. 04

   Schedule the day

   One-line schedule with realistic setup times. Lunch at hour 6. Wrap contingency of 30 minutes.

5. 05

   Risk assessment

   Update your RA with location-, cast- and equipment-specific hazards. File it 48h before the shoot.

• Storyboards prettier than useful — communicate, don't perform.
• A shot list the DoP hasn't seen — surprise on set is failure.
• Scheduling every shot at 20 minutes — lighting resets take 45.

The entire pack you build here is a scored portfolio item for Assessment 1. Version-control it — the tutor will read the final version.