Use This Formula To NEVER MISS A SHOT!

You're standing on location. Camera in hand. The scene is gorgeous... and your brain goes completely blank. What do I shoot? How much do I need? Will this be enough when I sit down to edit? That creative paralysis has killed more good videos than bad gear ever will. Filmmaker Jeven Dovey has a formula that fixes it. Nine shots. That's it.

The Problem Nobody Talks About

Most filmmaking advice obsesses over gear, color grading, and cinematic movement. But the real enemy? Standing in a beautiful location with no plan and walking away with footage you can't use.

Every creator has lived this. You shoot what feels right in the moment. You get home. You open your NLE Timeline|editing timeline. And you realize you've got twelve variations of the same wide shot and nothing to cut to.

The 9 Shot Rule eliminates that problem with a checklist simple enough to memorize on the drive to your location.

The Formula

Here's the whole thing:

- 2 Establishing Shot|Establishing Shots — Big, open, wide. Show the world your scene lives in. Think landscape, think Drone Cinematography|drone, think "where are we?" Often no subject at all... the location IS the subject. - 2 Wide Shot|Wide Shots — Now introduce your subject, but keep distance. Head-to-toe framing. Let the viewer see the action AND the environment together. - 2 Medium Shot|Medium Shots — Bring the camera closer. Tighter framing that narrows focus to the action itself. You lose some environment, you gain intimacy. - 2 Close-Up Shot|Close-Up Shots — Fill the frame with something small. A face. Hands on gear. Feet on a trail. Sunglasses reflecting the landscape. These shots are where emotion lives. - 1 Unique Perspective Shot|Unique Perspective — The wildcard. Shoot straight up. Shoot straight down. Find something textural like barbed wire on a fence line. Do something weird with movement. This is the shot that takes your sequence from competent to memorable.

Nine shots. Two pairs at each focal distance plus one creative swing.

Why Pairs Matter

Shooting in pairs at each level isn't arbitrary. It's editorial insurance.

When you sit down to edit a B-Roll sequence, a single shot at any given focal length forces you into either holding it too long or cutting to something jarring. Two shots at the same general framing gives your editor brain options. You can cut between them naturally. You can choose the better one. You can use both and maintain visual rhythm without Jump Cut|jump cuts.

This is the difference between footage and a sequence. Footage is raw material. A sequence tells a story. Pairs give you the connective tissue to build sequences that flow.

The Wildcard Changes Everything

Eight formula shots will get you covered. That ninth shot... the unique perspective... is where the magic lives.

Jeven Dovey demonstrates this beautifully. He's hiking along a fence line, shooting his pairs like a professional. Then he notices the barbed wire. Close. Textural. Different from everything else he's captured. That single shot becomes the visual punctuation mark that elevates the entire sequence.

Here's what I love about this: the unique perspective isn't something you plan in advance. It's something you discover on location BECAUSE you've already handled the fundamentals. The formula frees your creativity rather than constraining it. You've done the responsible work. Now play.

That's how Creative Constraints|constraints breed creativity. Every time.

Beyond B-Roll

The 9 Shot Rule isn't just for B-Roll packages. Dovey identifies three distinct applications:

1. B-Roll overlays — Footage laid over A-Roll talking head content to keep viewers engaged. 2. Video Transitions|Transitions — Bridging between sections, lessons, or scenes in longer content. 3. Cinematic Sequence|Cinematic sequences — Standalone visual storytelling moments that carry narrative weight on their own.

That versatility matters. Whether you're a YouTube Content Creation|YouTuber cutting a vlog, a brand filmmaker delivering client work, or someone just trying to document a family trip with more intention... the same nine shots apply.

The Real Gift: Permission to Stop Overthinking

Here's what hits me most about this framework.

Creative paralysis isn't really about not knowing what to shoot. It's about the fear of shooting the WRONG thing. Of wasting time. Of missing the moment while you're busy thinking about the moment.

A checklist kills that fear.

You don't have to be brilliant on location. You have to be systematic. Capture your nine shots. Trust the process. Then... if inspiration strikes while you're working the formula... chase it. But you've already got your safety net in the can.

This is the same principle behind every great creative framework. Shot List|Shot lists exist not to constrain directors but to free them. A musician learns scales not to play scales forever but to improvise without thinking about finger placement. Structure creates the foundation for spontaneity.

Put It to Work

Next time you're on location... anywhere... try this:

1. Arrive. Breathe. Look around. 2. Capture your two establishing shots first. Set the world. 3. Work inward through wide, medium, and close-up pairs. 4. Then hunt for that one unique perspective that makes you smile. 5. Review your nine shots. You're covered.

Now go create something with them.

The sequence Dovey cuts together at the end of his demonstration is genuinely beautiful. And it's built from exactly nine intentional shots captured on a single hike. No gear list longer than one camera. No complicated rig. Just a formula, executed with focus.

That's the thing about simple systems. They work precisely BECAUSE they're simple enough to actually use.

Checklists aren't the enemy of art. They're the launchpad. Nine shots won't make you a master cinematographer overnight... but they'll make sure you never sit down to edit with that sinking feeling of "I don't have enough." Master the formula. Then break it beautifully. ✨

--- Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N4hEbcX2N8