Shooting Ratio
Ratio of total footage filmed to footage used in the final cut of a film or video.
Definition
Shooting ratio is the relationship between the amount of footage captured during production and what actually appears in the final edited film. Expressed as a ratio like 10:1, it means ten minutes of footage were shot for every one minute used in the final cut.
Shooting ratios vary dramatically by production type and director style. Documentary filmmakers might shoot 50:1 or higher because they capture reality as it unfolds. Feature films typically range from 5:1 to 20:1, with action sequences often requiring higher ratios for safety and coverage. Digital filmmaking has pushed ratios higher because film stock costs no longer limit how much can be shot.
Why It Matters
Shooting ratios directly impact production budgets and post-production timelines. Higher ratios mean more footage to store, organize, and edit—increasing hard drive costs, editing time, and the complexity of finding the best takes. A 40:1 ratio on a feature might mean sorting through 200 hours of footage to create a 90-minute film.
For producers, understanding shooting ratios helps budget projects accurately. A director known for shooting 30:1 will incur significantly higher costs for hard drives, data management, and editorial time compared to one who shoots 8:1. These costs must be factored into production planning.
Ratios also reflect directorial style and production efficiency. Stanley Kubrick famously shot 100+ takes per scene, resulting in extremely high ratios. Modern documentary filmmakers embrace high ratios because digital storage is cheap and capturing authentic moments matters more than shooting economically.
Examples in Practice
A low-budget indie film shoots at 8:1 ratio (72 hours of footage for a 90-minute film), keeping post-production manageable with a small team. This efficiency allows them to complete editing in 12 weeks on a limited budget.
A documentary about wildlife shoots at 60:1, capturing hundreds of hours over two years to get rare animal behaviors. The final 50-minute film contains carefully selected moments that took months to capture, but the high ratio was necessary for the subject matter.
A big-budget action film shoots a complex car chase at 45:1 using multiple cameras and repeated takes for safety. While the sequence is only 4 minutes in the final cut, they shot 180 minutes of coverage—ensuring they captured every angle needed and had options for the most thrilling edit possible.