Photo & Video Shoot Planner

Shot lists, mood board, prop checklist and a batching day schedule for solo creators.

Written against

· Copyright Act (Canada) — licensing, moral rights and music use
· Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (federal)
· Municipal filming permits (e.g. City of Toronto film permit requirements)

1. Pre-production

· Objective: what each asset is for and where it will be published
· Mood board: 6–10 references with a note on what you are borrowing from each
· Shot list with framing, movement, duration and audio note per shot
· Location plan including light direction by hour and a weather backup
· Permissions: property owner consent, and a municipal filming permit for public spaces with equipment or crew

2. Shot list template

#	Shot	Framing	Movement	Audio	Duration
1	Hook to camera	Medium close	Static	Lapel	0:08

3. Gear and props checklist

· Camera or phone, spare battery, spare storage, charged and formatted
· Microphone plus dead cat, backup recorder
· Key light, bounce or reflector, ND filter for outdoors
· Tripod, clamp, gimbal
· Props, wardrobe changes (one per content block), lint roller, mirror
· Water, snacks, and a printed shot list

4. Batch day timeline

· Block A (2 hrs): all talking-head content, outfit 1
· Block B (1.5 hrs): b-roll and detail shots
· Block C (1.5 hrs): outfit 2, second angle set
· Wrap: back up to two drives before leaving the location

5. Rights and privacy

· Signed model release for anyone appearing in commercial content; parental consent for minors
· Do not record identifiable people in private settings, or customers in a business, without consent (PIPEDA and Ontario privacy torts)
· Music, fonts and stock assets must be licensed for commercial use — keep the licence file with the project
· If you hire a photographer or editor, get copyright assigned in writing; otherwise they own the work

6. File management

· Folder: YYYY-MM-DD_Project / 01_RAW / 02_EDIT / 03_EXPORT / 04_DOCS
· 3-2-1 backup: three copies, two media types, one off-site
· Naming: date_project_shot_take

This template is provided for general business use and reflects Ontario and federal Canadian requirements as commonly applied. It is not legal, tax or clinical advice. Confirm current requirements with Ontario.ca, your local public health unit or municipality, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, the CRA, WSIB and your professional regulator, and have high-risk documents reviewed by a licensed Ontario lawyer or accountant before use.