Shot logging
Encyclopedia
In filmmaking
and video production
, shot logging is the process by which shoot metadata
is captured during a film or video shoot. During the shoot, the camera assistant will typically log the start and end timecodes of shots, and the data generated will be sent on to the editorial department for use in referencing those shots. At the same time, information such as scene/slate number, camera ID and take will be noted. Where there are other technical systems producing metadata, their timecodes and settings will also be noted.
At the same time, non-technical information such as continuity and take selection information is usually recorded as part of the same process.
This shot logging process was traditionally done by hand using pen and paper, but is now typically done using shot-logging software running on a laptop computer that is connected to the time code generator or the camera itself. Modern digital cinema
cameras, film
cameras professional video camera
s and 3D rigs typically also have some form of technical data capture facility built in; the shot log information can be reconciled with the edit decision list
(EDL) in the post-production
process.
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
and video production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
, shot logging is the process by which shoot metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
is captured during a film or video shoot. During the shoot, the camera assistant will typically log the start and end timecodes of shots, and the data generated will be sent on to the editorial department for use in referencing those shots. At the same time, information such as scene/slate number, camera ID and take will be noted. Where there are other technical systems producing metadata, their timecodes and settings will also be noted.
At the same time, non-technical information such as continuity and take selection information is usually recorded as part of the same process.
This shot logging process was traditionally done by hand using pen and paper, but is now typically done using shot-logging software running on a laptop computer that is connected to the time code generator or the camera itself. Modern digital cinema
Digital cinema
Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology to distribute and project motion pictures. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, optical disks or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector...
cameras, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
cameras professional video camera
Professional video camera
A professional video camera is a high-end device for creating electronic moving images...
s and 3D rigs typically also have some form of technical data capture facility built in; the shot log information can be reconciled with the edit decision list
Edit decision list
An edit decision list or EDL used in the post-production process of film editing and video editing. The list contains an ordered list of reel and timecode data representing where each video clip can be obtained in order to conform the final cut....
(EDL) in the post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
process.