Decoupa Notes

Notes on the craft

Working notes on coverage, shot size, and the decisions behind a shot list.

How to Cover a Scene (and When to Hold Back)

Coverage is a set of decisions, not insurance. How to derive it from the script, what each shot does, and when shooting less is the stronger choice.

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Wide or Close? Shot Size as a Storytelling Decision

Shot size is one of the tools you use to decide what matters. Reading wide, medium and close as meaning, not as a coverage checkbox.

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Shot Sizes as Verbs: A Little Giveaway

A one-page reference for shot sizes, framed as verbs. What each size does, when to use it, and when to hold back. Free to pin and share.

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Shooting a Dialogue Scene: Shot, Reverse, and the Alternatives

Shot/reverse is the dialogue-scene reflex. When it serves the scene, when a held two-shot, a oner, or staying on the listener serves it better, and how to let the turn choose.

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Lining the Script: How Directors Find Coverage on the Page

The oldest, most direct way to turn a scene on paper into a plan you can shoot, and why the link between the words and the images matters most.

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What Makes a Good Shot List (and Why Templates Fall Short)

A good shot list is judged by whether each shot can justify itself, not by how full the grid is. What a list is for, and why a blank template is the wrong place to start.

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Directing Without a Shot List, and What a Light One Gives the Crew

A respectful look at working without a shot list, what a list is really for, and why a plan is a starting position, not a cage.

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