The best way, I would argue, to plan a scene before the shoot is to shot list. I have written down, in order, all of the shots I wish to take during film day. This will also help me with duration and order during both the production and post-production phases. My favorite method of shot listing is the "video shot list," where the audio (to some extent), such as the music, is played and one edits (in a video editing software like Premiere Pro) text of each shot's description on a black screen at the increments over the audio. I have created both and have written out the former here.
1. Nat Sound - Novikof breathing heavily and pushing past people, hear sounds of cars and Russian-speaking passersby.
2. Est Shot - Drone shot of the library. Novikof clearly seen in the center of the shot on the ground, shoving past people.
3. Shaky hand-held, wide shot of Novikof in the center, shoving through people. His back is facing the camera.
4. People in the library go about their business calmly. Change focus pulls from people walking by camera close by (lower angle, to be at the same level as girl seated (off-screen now, but when pan, comes on), at first a few regular-looking students walk by the camera which is smoothly panning around (the lobby?) (smooth motion shows contrast between the library and outside). Girl seated, reading and taking notes on a book, chewing eraser on the back of the pencil.
5. Extreme long shot on the library, he's not there yet. He in center again.
6. Smooth pan to the right (even more from the last shot) to get some students checking out books.
7. Med close up profile, hand held (not as shaky), Novikof's hand swipes over his face and through his hair as he continues to breathe hard and nervously. Cut before he takes his hand completely away from his face (so you don't see it clearly yet).
8. POV shot, Novikof is still looking left, the hand is on the left side of the screen, leaving the shot. Focus pull on the hand and all that directly close to him (he is near-sighted). He sees an owner walking her dog (but burry, about 15 feet away) she flashes as a communist government agent with a snarling dog.
9. Flash! ECU of Novikof's mouth, he gasps sharply.
10. Back to the POV shot, Novikof puts on his glasses and the part of the camera "in his glasses" as the camera picks up putting them on is clear and is the women walking her dog again.
11. Medium shot - same profile angle as before, Novikof is turning left looking as the dog walker is walking slower than he (he has been walking all this time) and his eyes trail back. He pulls up his buffolo leather messenger bag higher on his shoulder and looks back to the direction of the library walking with more purpose and faster. Tracking shot.
12. Over his shoulder shot looking up at a security guard at the door of the library. Angle up to show authority (as Novikof's head moves up slowly, the camera angles up slowly)
13. Over the right shoulder of the guard, looking at Novikof, who is now right neext to the library doors. He turns his head and eyes quickly straight (away from the guard), nervous. This is not a cut on action. I want to see him look and then turn away. Novikof walks out of frame.
14. POV shot of Novikof looking both left and right, no one notices him.
15. Medium shot of 45 degrees in front on his left (like from before, keep with the 180 degree rule as best as can). He walks quickly, looking tensely around him, gripping his bag. The camera tracks him, moving behind book shlves and pillars and the like, when he turns a corneer to the elevator, the camera (use post-production and in-camera transitioning) moves through the wall into the elevator and the elevator doors open and he enters.
16. POV shot, he looks to see that there are some people in the elevator, one looking over a book, the other starring off into space ahead.
17. Extreme close up on the elevator buttons. (nat sound closing elevator.) Novikof's finger/hand comes into frame from bottom left, he pushes buttons quickly. When the yellow light on the elevator button turns on after he clicks (have nat sound) the yellow light flickers into a swinging over head/ceiling light to torture, same color and shape as the bulb). Have nat sound from this swinging and punching of his father in a seat under it.
18. Back to his hand hovering over the floor button.
19. Medium shot, Novikof in the left third, he looks worriedly at the bottom to his right (to camera's left), hand still outstretched a bit.
20. Close up, on Novikof's face, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breathe, as he breathes up the camera moves with the breathe, like a slow motion pause to this crazy suspense.
21. Same shot, camera is outside elevator (looks like same shot, in post take camera out of elevator, quickly with a whoosh, hella speed track here). The elevator door shoots open and he is back in business. Almost there.
He steps onto metal part between the carpet and the elevator floor.
22. From floor on the left side of Novikof, tracking his feet as he walks and sliding behind chair legs in foreground and table legs.
23. Stabilized, walk in zoom on the meeting of the two bookshelves where his books are hidden.
Novikof walks in on the right side of the screen, he has his left side to the camera and then walks to the center, then up with the zoom moves in to the meeting of the two bookshelves.
24. POV of the button (whatever color the button is, if it is a plastic cap over it make it look like camera is behind that colored plastic). Novikof pushes the button.
25. Same shot, camera moves back as the bookshelves come apart, Novikof is in the middle of the screen waiting until the space between the bookshelves is big enough for a person, the camera keeps moving back. Novikof then walks forward into the aisle.
26. Tracking shot panning left behind the books looking at Novikof. See him in the spaces between the books as he looks, reading all the titles.
27. POV shot, Novikof's finger is out skimming the books to the right from the left from an eye level shelf to one higher than that. Stops on beat on a book with clear tape over the spine with a typed Russian title on it). His hand hesitates. (Remember to replace these with Russian titles/books and don't actually get books in other shots unless can replace/easily track and rename).
28. Shot from right above the shelf where this books sits looking down at Novikof. He snatches the book. (ANGLED DOWN AT HIM)
29. Close up on book as Novikof slowly pulls the taped and typed (same title) paper up from the bottom left to reveal to the camera the title: Solzhenitsyn, move lower to the other title "The Moral Vision."
30. From under book, good framing to show Novikof looking off, scared someone might have seen the true title and him holding it. He slides his hand over the book cover to put the taped title back on.
31. Close up on the bag from side, so see guard a bit aways in right third. Focus pull is on bag and book, Novikof shoves the book into his bag. Focus pull is now on the guard, who saw something suspicious. Yells something in Russian and makes a gesture for Novikof to come over.
32. Camera moves at a canted angle from CU on his face registering the guard and then looking at the elevator to weigh his options. The camera is constantly moving in this long slow motion, high action ahot. Novikof looks back at the guard off screen as the camera moves out and back like a person leaning back, reeling. He pushes off with his back leg forcefully and runs to the elevator, slamming his hand on the down button.
33. Novikof falls into the hit on the button and whips his head around and as he does this the camera moves back and sees the guard start to run toward it. The camera moves back to Novikof who is pulling himself up to run.
34. Same shot camera follows behind and then to the side and front of (at a canted and leaned back angle) Novikof as he runs down the stairs.
35. When he gets to the bottom of the stairs, he jumps vaulting right over the camera which is on the ground and angles following him in the arch, then flowing him as he is in the center running to the automatic doors.
HERE when Novikof hits the ground from his jump, he runs in normal speed (and throws his bag then the door open and as he runs through, he grabs his bag) and the guard comes on screen running up a bit later so that when Novikof runs through automatic door opened by his bag sliding up and triggering it, it closes in front of the guard
36. Have "the Savannah Pictures" and logo on the automatic doors the first time!
The automatic doors shut here BAM and Novikof runs into the crowd, off.
The guard takes out a walkie talkie and shouts something in Russian and hand signals to people off screen who are supposed to be guards.
Then guard runs through the door and when it closes, have "Novikof" animate with the line passing through it and slide on. Screen cuts to black, but the main title graphic is still there.
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