A script tells you what happens. A shot list tells you what to generate. It is the bridge between words and pictures — and it is where most AI animation beginners get stuck, because they jump straight from a finished script to prompting an image generator with no plan, and end up with a pile of beautiful, mutually inconsistent images.
A proper shot list fixes this. It is a simple numbered table, and building one takes about thirty minutes. This guide shows you the exact columns to use, the four shot types that cover ninety percent of short drama, and a five-step workflow to convert any script into a generation-ready plan.
What a Shot List Actually Is
A shot list is a table where each row represents one visual you need to create. Use these five columns:
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Shot # | Sequential number (1, 2, 3…) |
| Description | Full generation prompt: character, action, style |
| Shot type | Wide, medium, close-up, or cutaway |
| Duration | Seconds on screen (3–6 typical) |
| Status | to generate → generated → approved |
The description column is the workhorse: it holds the complete prompt you will paste into your image generator, including the full character description, the action, and the style keywords — in every single row.
The 4 Shot Types That Cover 90% of Short Drama
You do not need film-school vocabulary. Four shot types handle nearly everything in a 30-to-90-second animated short:
- Wide shot — establishes location. Use it when entering a new place or showing the full scene. Typically your opening frame.
- Medium shot — the dialogue workhorse. Character from the waist up, the default framing for conversations and most action.
- Close-up — emotion and reveals. The twist landing, the shocked face, the crucial object. Use sparingly and it hits hard.
- Cutaway — detail inserts. A trembling hand, a ticking clock, the burnt cake. Cutaways buy you pacing control and visual variety for free.
If a moment in your script does not clearly call for one of these four, it probably does not need to be its own shot.
The 5-Step Shot List Workflow
Step 1: Break the Script Into Shots
Rule of thumb: one shot every 3 to 6 seconds of screen time. A 30-second short therefore needs 6 to 10 shots. Go through your script line by line and mark where the visual changes — new camera angle, new action, new emphasis. Each change is a new row.
Beginners: aim for 6 shots — fewer generations, faster completion, tighter storytelling. Constraints make you creative; a sprawling 14-shot list for a 30-second short is a warning sign.
Step 2: Label Each Shot's Type
Assign one of the four types to every row, driven by the story moment:
- Dialogue exchange → medium shot
- Entering a new location → wide shot first, then medium
- The big reveal or punchline → close-up
- A telling detail → cutaway
Check the rhythm afterward: four close-ups in a row dilutes their impact, so alternate types to keep visual energy moving.
Step 3: Write the Full Generation Prompt in Every Row
This is the step beginners skip, and it is the most important one. Write the complete prompt — full character description, action, style keywords — in the description column of every row. Do not abbreviate, do not write "same robot as before."
A row that just says "robot in kitchen" lets the generator invent a brand-new robot — different head, different proportions — destroying your character consistency in one row. But a row reading "the same nervous robot chef with round head, single antenna, and patched apron, anime style, medium shot, holding up a burnt cake with a proud expression" returns your robot, in your style, doing the scripted action.
Repetition is the price of consistency. Copy-paste your locked character description into every row without shame.
Step 4: Track Status Religiously
Mark every row "to generate" when the table is done. Move rows to "generated" as images come back, and to "approved" only after you have compared the image against your character reference sheet.
This humble status column prevents the classic beginner disaster: animating, voicing, and editing the wrong version of a shot, then discovering the mismatch at final review. The column costs five seconds per row and has saved countless hours.
Step 5: Let AI Draft the Table, Then Audit It
You do not have to build the table manually. Prompt your script LLM:
"Turn this script into a shot list table with 8 shots. Columns: number, visual description, shot type, duration. Repeat the full character description in every row."
Then audit it: does the shot count match your timing math? Are types varied? Is the character description complete in every row? AI drafts in seconds; your ten-minute audit makes it production-ready.
The Shot List Is Also Your Budget
Here is the strategic reframe: every row in your shot list is a generation you must pay for — in time, free-tier credits, or money. The table makes the cost of your ambition visible before you spend it. A 6-shot short is a weekend project; a 20-shot short is a production. Choose deliberately, on paper, before generating a single image.
Summary
Convert your script into a 5-column shot list table (number, description, type, duration, status) at roughly one shot per 3–6 seconds. Use the four essential shot types — wide, medium, close-up, cutaway — write the complete character-locked generation prompt in every row, track status per row, and let AI draft the table for your audit. Six shots is the right target for your first short.
FAQ
What is a shot list in animation?
A shot list is a numbered table breaking a script into individual visuals to generate. Each row specifies the shot's content (full generation prompt), type, screen duration, and production status.
How many shots do I need for a 30-second animated short?
Six to ten, at roughly one shot every 3 to 6 seconds. Beginners should target six — fewer shots mean fewer generations, faster finishing, and tighter storytelling.
How do I keep characters consistent across AI-generated shots?
Paste your complete, locked character description — appearance, clothing, art style keywords — verbatim into the generation prompt of every shot list row. Then verify each generated image against your character reference sheet before marking it approved.
What is the difference between a storyboard and a shot list?
A storyboard is visual — sketches or images showing each shot. A shot list is textual and operational — a table of prompts, types, durations, and statuses. For AI animation, the shot list matters more, because its description column feeds directly into your image generator.