Script and storyboard
Improvising in front of the camera works until it doesn't. A script, an outline or a storyboard, even just one page long, saves hours of shooting and editing, and gives the result a clear structure.
Which document you need
| Document | What it is | For which formats |
|---|---|---|
| Screenplay | Scenes, action and dialogue | Fiction, short films, sketches |
| Two-column script | Picture on the left, sound on the right | Documentary, corporate video, advertising, YouTube |
| Outline (rundown) | An ordered list of segments with approximate running times | Podcasts, livestreams, interviews, long videos |
| Storyboard | Panels with each shot drawn | Pieces with carefully planned shots: ads, music videos, action |
| Shot list | A table with every shot to film | Any shoot: it's the day's road map |
The structure that always works
Almost any video, from a 20-second ad to a documentary, follows three parts:
- Setup: who, what and why you should care. In web video, this part includes the hook.
- Development: the conflict, the process, the information. What happens.
- Ending: the resolution, the conclusion and, if it fits, the call to action.
Before writing anything, sum up your video in one sentence: “A neighborhood baker shows how she survives competition from the big chains”. If you can't, the video doesn't have a focus yet.
The two-column script
It's the most useful format for most non-fiction videos. Each row is a moment: on the left what you see and on the right what you hear.
| PICTURE | SOUND |
|---|---|
| WS of the bakery before dawn. Warm light. | Ambience: ovens. Soft music comes in. |
| ECU of hands kneading. | VOICE-OVER (Martha): “I've been getting up at four for twenty-two years.” |
| MS of Martha looking at the oven. J-cut. | Sound of the oven door. Martha: “At first I didn't think I'd last.” |
Write for the ear: short sentences, simple words, one idea per sentence. Read the text out loud and time it. As a reference, people read aloud at around 140–160 words per minute at a natural pace.
The outline
For formats where you don't write every word. Example for a 30-minute video podcast:
| Segment | Content | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Cold open | Hook with the best moment + theme music | 0:45 |
| Introduction | Guest and topic | 2:00 |
| Segment 1 | How it started | 8:00 |
| Segment 2 | The big mistake | 8:00 |
| Segment 3 | Practical tips | 8:00 |
| Close | Where to follow the guest, sign-off | 3:00 |
The storyboard
You don't need to draw well. For each panel, note the shot size, angle, camera movement and one line about what happens or what's heard. Other options: photos taken on your phone at the real location, or reference frames from films (for internal use only).
The shot list
The document you take to the shoot. For each shot: number, scene, size, angle, movement, lens, description and whether it's been filmed yet. Order it by location and camera position, not by story order: that way you don't move the lights ten times.
You can generate a shot list as a starting point with the shot list builder and download the PDF templates.
- Sum up the video in one sentence before you start.
- Setup, development and ending.
- Two columns for what you see and what you hear.
- An outline for long formats; a storyboard for carefully planned shots.
- A shot list ordered by location.
Your turn: one page before you shoot
Plan a one-minute video about someone you know and their trade.
- The one-line sentence.
- A two-column script.
- A 6-panel stick-figure storyboard and a shot list ordered by location.