AI Assisted Shot List

Ensemble can generate a structured shot list from your screenplay using AI. The shot list breaks your script into scenes, then produces individual shots with camera details, framing, movement, and overhead diagrams — ready for pre-production planning.

What is a Shot List?

A shot list is a document used in film and video production that catalogs every camera setup needed to shoot a scene. It typically includes the shot type (wide, close-up, etc.), camera angle, movement, characters in frame, and any special equipment or notes.

In Ensemble, the AI reads your screenplay text and character biographies, then generates a shot list organized by scene. Each shot includes technical details, a story purpose, and an overhead diagram showing camera and subject positions.

Generating a Shot List

Open a screenplay and click the Shot List button (camera icon) in the left sidebar. If no shot list exists yet, you will see an empty state with two options:

• Generate with AI — The AI analyzes your screenplay text and any character biographies you have written, then produces a complete shot list with scenes, shots, and diagrams.
• Create Blank — Creates an empty shot list structure based on your screenplay's scenes, with no shots filled in. Use this if you prefer to build everything manually.

If you have character biographies set up for your project, the AI uses them to make smarter choices about framing, angles, and shot composition based on character relationships and emotional context.

Understanding the Workspace

The shot list workspace has three main areas:

• Scene Navigator (left panel) — Lists all scenes in your screenplay with their headings, shot counts, and emotional tone. Click a scene to jump to it. Each scene has an + Add Shot button for manually adding new shots.
• Main Content (center) — Displays your shots in one of two view modes, toggled from the header:
  • Table View — A spreadsheet-style table with columns for shot number, diagram, title, type, movement, characters, angle, priority, and estimated time. Shots can be reordered by dragging.
  • Card View — A responsive grid showing each shot as a card with its diagram, title, type, and camera movement.
• Detail Panel (right panel) — Appears when you select a shot. Shows the full diagram and all editable fields for that shot, plus the AI Edit section.

The header bar at the top includes the view toggle, a Regenerate All button to regenerate the entire shot list, and the Export menu.

Editing Shots

You can edit shots in two ways: inline in the table, or through the detail panel.

In Table View, double-click a shot's title cell to edit it inline. Press Enter to save or Escape to cancel.

Click any shot to open the Detail Panel on the right, which gives you access to every field:

• Basic Info — Title, Description, and Story Purpose
• Technical Specs — Shot Type (Wide, Medium, Close-Up, etc.), Angle (Eye Level, Low, High, Dutch, etc.), Framing (Single, Two Shot, Group, Over the Shoulder, POV), Movement (Static, Pan, Tilt, Dolly, Crane, Steadicam, Handheld, Zoom, etc.), Priority (Essential, Important, Nice to Have), and Complexity (Simple, Moderate, Complex)
• Production Details — Characters, Lens Suggestion, Equipment, Estimated Shoot Time, Lighting Notes, Audio Notes, Continuity Notes, VFX Notes, and Props

You can also duplicate or delete shots from the detail panel, and drag and drop shots to reorder them in the table view.

All changes auto-save every five seconds.

AI Editing Individual Shots

Select a shot and scroll to the AI Edit section at the bottom of the detail panel. Describe what you want changed in natural language — for example, "make this a close-up with a low angle to emphasize the character's power" or "add a dolly movement tracking the character as they walk."

Press Apply AI Edit (or Cmd/Ctrl+Enter) to submit. The AI updates the shot fields based on your instruction while keeping its context within the scene.

Shot Diagrams

Each shot includes an overhead diagram (SVG) that visualizes the camera setup. The diagram shows:

• Camera position and direction — A green triangle indicating where the camera is placed and which way it points
• Subject markers — Blue circles for characters and orange circles for props, each labeled with a name
• Framing box — A dashed rectangle representing the camera's field of view
• Movement path — A dashed line with an arrowhead showing the camera's movement trajectory, if any

Diagrams appear in the table view, card view, detail panel, and exports. They are generated automatically by the AI and update when you AI-edit a shot.

Exporting

Click the Export button in the header to choose a format:

• PDF — A formatted document with scene sections, shot tables, and inline diagrams. Generated server-side. Good for sharing with your crew.
• CSV — A spreadsheet file with all shot data across 20 columns including technical specs and production notes. Open it in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet tool for further planning.
• Print — Opens a browser print dialog with a formatted HTML table including diagrams. No server call needed — works entirely in your browser.

Free vs Pro

Free accounts are limited to five shots total across all scenes. This applies to AI generation, manual creation, and duplication. If AI generates more than five shots, the result is trimmed to five.

Pro accounts have unlimited shots with no restrictions on generation, editing, or export.

Upgrade to Pro from your account settings or when prompted by the shot limit banner. See Pricing for details.