Opening block
2 scenes · 2.0 min · 24 placed shots
Free pre-production tool
AI film runtime and shot planner.
Work backward from the finished movie. Estimate the scenes and shots the audience will see, then add coverage, attempts, and editorial handles to reveal the footage the production may need.
7Planning controls3Footage layers1Visible formula
Build the production map
Set the rhythm and coverage.
The planner works from the final edit backward. It separates shots expected to appear in the cut from extra coverage and from rejected generation attempts.
Estimated generated footage58.3 min7.3× the finished runtime
8Scenes96Placed shots12.0Shots / scene500Generated clips
0196Generated shots in final edit
→02125Usable shots with coverage
→03500Total attempts
Formula
96 placed shots × 100% generated share × 130% coverage × 4 attempts = 500 clips.
500 clips × (5-second shot + 2-second handles) = 3,500 seconds of generated footage.
This is a planning estimate—not a required shooting ratio or a guarantee of model performance. Dialogue, action, crowds, precise interactions, visual effects, and continuity can change the acceptance rate substantially.
Neutral planning blocks
One way to divide the workload.
This opening/development/resolution split is a scheduling aid, not a required story formula. Move scenes and shots to match the film.
Development block
4 scenes · 4.0 min · 48 placed shots
Resolution block
2 scenes · 2.0 min · 24 placed shots
Three different numbers
Placed shots, coverage, and attempts are not interchangeable.
Placed shots
The shots expected to appear in the finished timeline, estimated from runtime divided by average shot length.
Coverage shots
Usable alternate angles, reactions, inserts, transitions, and replacements generated so the edit has choices.
Generation attempts
All outputs requested to obtain the usable coverage—including technical failures, continuity misses, and weaker performances.
Test before scaling
Measure one representative sequence.
A planner becomes reliable only when project data replaces assumptions. Choose a sequence containing the film’s hardest recurring character, interaction, location, or camera move.
- 01
Cut an animatic
Confirm the intended duration, scene rhythm, shot count, dialogue timing, and transition needs before final generation.
- 02
Log every attempt
Record generated seconds, usable outputs, placed shots, pickups, hands-on time, and the reason each rejected clip failed.
- 03
Replace the ratios
Update shot length, coverage, attempts, and handles with measured values before scheduling or budgeting the full film.
Planning questions
Know what the numbers mean.
What is average shot length?
It is the mean time between edits in the intended finished film. A five-second average does not require every shot to last five seconds; it is a planning input used to estimate how many placed shots the cut may contain.
What does coverage reserve mean?
Coverage reserve adds usable alternatives beyond the shots expected in the final edit—such as inserts, reactions, alternate framings, transitions, and replacement options. It is separate from failed generation attempts.
Why add clip handles?
A shot often needs time before or after the intended action so the editor can choose the cut point. Handles estimate that extra generated duration for every attempt.
Does generated footage mean footage that will appear in the movie?
No. It includes every estimated attempt, including rejected outputs and material outside the final cut. The planner separately shows generated shots intended for the final edit and usable shots planned for coverage.
Is the three-block plan a required screenplay structure?
No. It is only a neutral way to divide a production workload. Documentary, essay, experimental, episodic, nonlinear, and other forms should organize scenes according to their own logic.
Continue planning
Connect the shot plan to cost, continuity, and release.
Estimate the production budget, study the full workflow, prepare consistent characters, or build the delivery package before the first public submission.