Tutorials
Creators · Directing shots

Direct your shots with shot cards

Nova Bright
Creative & media · 4 min read · Aug 2026

Your beat sheet becomes a set of shot cards, one per shot. On each card you direct the shot in plain language — the framing, the camera move, the look, and the pacing — with pickers instead of jargon. The crew turns each card into a render, and you iterate on the ones that are not right yet before assembling the cut.

A shot card is where a beat becomes footage. You direct each shot the way a director briefs a crew — in plain language — and the photographer and director translate it into a render.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Open a shot card

    Each beat gives you a shot card. Open the first one to start directing the footage for that moment.

  2. 2

    Set framing and camera move

    Describe the frame — close and intimate, or wide and epic — and pick a camera move from plain-language options. No rig knowledge needed.

  3. 3

    Choose the look and pacing

    Pick the look so every shot matches, and set the pacing — a held moment or a quick cut. The crew keeps it consistent across cards.

  4. 4

    Render and iterate

    Generate the shot, review it, and adjust the card until it lands. A shot is only charged once it is produced and shown to you.

Direct in words, not settings

You should be able to say what you want a shot to feel like without learning a camera rig. Shot cards take plain-language direction and pickers, and the crew handles the craft that turns it into footage.

Key terms

Shot card.
The unit of direction for one shot — its framing, camera move, look, and pacing — that the crew renders.
Camera move.
How the shot moves — a slow push in, a pan, a static hold — picked in plain terms, not rig settings.
Look.
The visual style of the shot — the palette, light, and grade — chosen so the whole piece feels of a piece.

FAQ

Do I need to know camera terms?

No. You describe the shot in plain language and pick from clear options for the move and look; the crew handles the technical side.

What if a shot is not right?

Adjust the card and render again. You iterate per shot, and you are only charged for a render that is produced and delivered.

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