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Camera log sheet (PDF)
A printable camera log that keeps roll, card, clip name, scene, take, and timecode in one place, so nothing gets lost between the card and the edit. Room for frame rate, resolution, lens, and a good-take box on every row.
PDF, A4 landscape, prints clean in black and white. Free to use on any shoot.
What a camera log sheet is
A camera log, or camera report, is the record the camera department keeps of what each card holds. It ties every clip file name to a scene, setup, and take, and notes the technical detail, timecode, frame rate, resolution, lens, so the DIT can offload cleanly and the editor can match footage to the script without opening every clip to check.
The one rule that matters most: the clip name on the sheet has to match the clip name on the card exactly. Get that right and the whole downstream chain, offload, sync, edit, lines up on its own.
What is on the sheet
- Roll / cardThe card or roll ID this clip lives on.
- Clip / fileThe clip file name, exactly as the camera wrote it.
- Scene / setupThe scene and camera setup the clip belongs to.
- TakeThe take number, so it matches the continuity sheet.
- TC in / outClip start and end timecode.
- FPSFrame rate, so nothing gets conformed wrong.
- ResolutionCapture resolution and format.
- Lens / mmLens and focal length for the setup.
- ND / stopFiltration or stop, if your workflow tracks it.
- Good takeA box to check the keepers at a glance.
How a pro fills it in
Head the sheet with the card
Production, camera body or letter, operator, DIT or loader, and the roll or card ID. One sheet per card so nothing crosses over.
Log the clip name exactly
Write the file name the way the camera wrote it. No shorthand, no drift, no off-by-one.
Tie it to scene and take
Scene, setup, take, so the editor can match footage to the continuity and script.
Record timecode and format
Timecode in and out, frame rate, resolution, lens, and ND or stop if you track it.
Check the good takes
Tick the good-take box on the keepers and note anything the editor or colorist should know.
When to use it
Use it any time you are shooting to cards and someone has to account for them: narrative, documentary, commercial, or multi-camera. Start a fresh sheet for every card, keep it with the camera or the DIT cart, and hand it off at wrap with the media. When a card comes up short or a clip goes missing, this sheet is the paper trail that finds it.
Preview and print
This is the exact sheet in the PDF. Print it as is, or hit Print this sheet above.
| Roll / Card | Clip / File name | Scene | Setup | Take | TC In | TC Out | FPS | Resolution | Lens / mm | ND / Stop | Good take | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paper vs Clapper
The log is free. Re-keying every clip number is the tax.
Download the camera log and it does the job on paper. This is only the part that disappears when Clapper numbers your clips for you. The sheet stays free to print as often as you like.
| Paper log | Clapper | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to print | Free, no account to log |
| Fill it in | By hand, card by card | Tap on your phone |
| Camera clip numbers | You read and copy each one | Auto-counted, matched to your camera |
| GOLD / circle selects | Marker on the good takes | One tap |
| Hand off to editor | Type the clip list into a spreadsheet | Export Premiere XML, CSV, and PDF |
| At wrap | New sheet for the next card | Already done |
Skip the retype
Clapper numbers your clips for you
If you would rather not re-key every clip number by hand, Clapper auto-numbers your camera clips as you log takes. Pick your camera body and it numbers clips the way that camera does, so the log matches the cards with no drift. At wrap it exports a Premiere-ready XML plus a CSV and a printable PDF the editor can open directly.
- Free, no account to start logging
- Clip numbering matched to your camera
- Exports Premiere XML, CSV, and PDF