# Pickup shot

Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/pickup-shot
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Spencer Kaufman, Storiara

> A pickup shot is a short additional shot filmed after a scene's main coverage, often an insert, a cutaway, or a missed line, to fix a gap found on set or in the edit. On set, 'pick it up' also means restarting a take from partway through the scene instead of from the top.

## Two meanings on the same set

The first is a take that starts partway through. On take 4 of scene 14, Maya nails the first half and then flubs a line. The director says, "Pick it up from 'You said Tuesday.'" Camera keeps its setup, sound resets, and the actors start from that line. The [script supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/script-supervisor) logs it as 14C-5 PU, so the editor knows the take starts mid-scene.

The second is a separate shot added later. After watching dailies, the director realizes nobody shot a close insert of the note Maya slides across the counter. That insert becomes a pickup shot for a later day.

## Tracking the list

The 1st AD and script supervisor keep a running pickup list. A line on it looks like:

| Sc. | Shot | Description | Cast | Location | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | Insert | Note slid across counter | Hand double OK | Rosie's Diner | Sched. Day 9 |
| 42 | Cutaway | Security camera POV of garage | None | Hill St. garage | 2nd unit |
| 19 | Line | Joe: "I already paid." Wide, off-mic OK | 3 | Diner parking lot | ADR? Check w/ editor |

Most pickup shots need no principal cast, which is why they're cheap to move. An insert with a hand double can go to a [splinter unit](https://storiara.com/glossary/splinter-unit) while main unit shoots dialogue. Establishing shots and plates go to [second unit](https://storiara.com/glossary/second-unit).

## Scheduling them

During production, the AD looks for a day already at the right location. Day 9 returns to the diner, so the note insert goes on day 9's call sheet as "Sc. 14 pt. (insert)" with 0 pages. Giving a pickup 1/8 page is a common way to keep it visible on the board even though the scene was already counted.

After wrap, a longer list becomes a [pickup day](https://storiara.com/glossary/pickup-day), scheduled once the editor has built a cut and knows what's missing. That can be weeks or months later, which brings its own problems: actors' hair has changed, the location is gone, the season looks different.

## Mistakes

A pickup list that lives only in someone's head. If the script supervisor leaves before post, nobody remembers why 42 needed a cutaway. Keep the list on paper and attach it to the wrap report.

Also avoid treating missing coverage of a key dramatic beat as a "pickup". If the scene's master and main close-ups are missing, that's a reshoot, and it needs a proper [shoot day](https://storiara.com/glossary/shoot-day) and budget conversation with the [editor](https://storiara.com/roles/editor) and producer.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between a pickup and a reshoot?

A pickup adds a small missing piece to a scene that's already mostly shot, such as an insert or a line. A reshoot redoes a scene or a big part of it. Pickups are routine; reshoots usually mean something went wrong or the story changed.

### What does 'pick it up from' mean on set?

The director or AD wants to restart the take from a specific line or action rather than the top of the scene. The script supervisor notes it as a pickup (often 'PU') on that take.

### When are pickup shots scheduled?

During production they get tucked into later days at the same location or given to a splinter unit. After wrap, larger lists get their own pickup day once the editor has an assembly.