Script templates and shot lists you can reuse

Transcript of the narration, chapter by chapter.

0:00 Templates and shot lists

Here's a secret from creators who post four or five times a week without burning out. They're not more inspired than you. They just never start from a blank page. They have templates for scripts, and they have shot lists that tell them exactly what to film. In this lesson, you'll learn how to size a script by words per second, use three script templates for fifteen, thirty and sixty seconds, build a shot list, and batch film a week of content in one session.

0:37 The key idea

Why does this matter? Because production time is the biggest reason creators quit. If every video takes three hours of thinking, filming and re-filming, you'll run out of energy in a month. Templates remove the thinking time. Shot lists remove the re-filming, because you don't get to the edit and discover you forgot the close-up of the product. Here's the key idea. Separate creative decisions from production decisions. Be creative when you write. Be systematic when you film.

1:11 Words per second

Let's start with sizing. Natural speech on short-form runs at roughly two to three words per second. So fifteen seconds holds about thirty to forty-five words. Thirty seconds, about sixty to ninety. Sixty seconds, about a hundred twenty to a hundred seventy. And two to three minutes, a few hundred words. Reels and Shorts both allow up to three minutes now, and TikTok allows longer uploads. But here's the thing. Length only helps if every second earns its place. Write to the length the idea deserves, not the maximum the app allows.

1:51 Three templates

Now the three templates. Template A, the fifteen-second quick tip. Hook in the first two seconds. The tip, shown not told, until about ten seconds. Then the payoff, ideally with a line that loops back to the start. Template B, the thirty-second problem and solution. Hook naming the problem. Why it happens. The fix in two or three steps, each with a new visual. Proof, like a before and after. Then one call to action. Template C, the sixty-second story. The moment of tension. The setup. The conflict. The resolution. And the lesson for the viewer. Think of these like recipe cards. You still choose the ingredients, but you never forget a step.

2:40 Example 1: Jeddah florist (Template A)

A simple example using Template A. A florist in Jeddah wants a quick tip. Hook, zero to two seconds: close-up of drooping roses, text, your roses die fast because of this. The tip, two to ten seconds: cut the stems at an angle under running water, shown in close-up. Payoff, ten to fifteen seconds: fresh roses in a vase, and the line, and that's why ours last all week. That last line connects back to the problem in the hook, so the video loops nicely. Thirty-eight words. Fifteen seconds. Done.

3:19 The shot list

Next, the shot list. A shot list turns the script into a filming plan. One row per shot, with columns for the script line, shot type, framing, camera setup, location, props, audio, text overlay and a done checkbox. Always plan five kinds of shots. A-roll, which is you talking to camera. B-roll, meaning hands, product, screen recordings, process shots. Detail shots, close-ups of textures and labels. Transition shots, like a hand covering the lens or a whip pan, which give your editor clean cut points. And a cover frame, a clean, well-lit frame for the thumbnail.

4:01 Watch me: script → shot list

Watch me build a shot list from a script. I'm using the lighting script from the last lesson. Shot one: your Reels look dark because of this. A-roll, medium close-up, rear camera on a tripod at the desk, lav mic, text overlay why your videos look dark. Shot two: you're filming with the window behind you. B-roll, wide, handheld, showing the window. Shot three: turn around, face the window. A-roll, medium, tripod, facing the window. Shot four: split screen before and after, tripod, both setups, text before and after. Then I add a cover frame and one transition shot, a hand wipe. Now I reorder by location. Everything at the desk facing away, then everything facing the window. That saves me moving the tripod four times.

4:56 Example 2: Dubai Marina café

Now a realistic scenario, illustrative. A small café in Dubai Marina posts four Reels a week. On Sunday, the owner writes four scripts using Templates A and B: a latte-art quick tip, why our cold brew takes eighteen hours, a staff story, and the weekend special. Then she builds one combined shot list, grouped by location. All the counter shots first. Then all the kitchen shots. Then the terrace shots in the soft late-afternoon light, because midday sun in Dubai is harsh. Filming takes ninety minutes instead of four separate sessions. And the editor gets clearly labeled clips with three hooks per video.

5:41 Batch filming steps

Let's go through batch filming step by step. Write five scripts on one day using the templates. Build one combined shot list grouped by location and setup, not by video. Change your top or an accessory between videos if you want them to feel like different days. Film three hooks for each video while you're already set up, because hooks are what you'll test. And label clips immediately, like V one, S three, take two, or say the label out loud at the start of each take. Future you, sitting in the edit, will be very grateful.

6:23 Store templates where you work

One practical tip about storing your templates. Keep them in one place you open every day, like a notes app, Google Docs or a project tool, with a copy-and-fill version of each template ready to go. Add a short idea bank underneath, a running list of topics tagged by template: this one's a quick tip, this one's a story. When it's time to write, you're not choosing between a hundred ideas on a blank page. You're filling in a card. Many creators also save their best-performing scripts as examples beside each template, so they can see what good looks like in their own voice.

7:08 Mistakes + recap

The common mistakes. Writing scripts without timing them, then talking faster to fit. Filming without a shot list and missing B-roll or detail shots. Grouping batch filming by video instead of by location, so you spend the session moving lights. And forgetting a clean cover frame, then settling for a blurry thumbnail. To recap: size scripts with words per second, use the three templates as recipe cards, turn every script into a shot list with A-roll, B-roll, detail, transition and cover shots, and batch film by location with three hooks per video.

7:48 Try this now

Try this now. Write three scripts for your niche, one with each template. Put all three into one combined shot list, grouped by location. Then block out ninety minutes this week and film all three in one session, with three hooks each. Time yourself, and compare it with how long three separate shoots used to take. In the next module, we'll make that footage look and sound great on just a phone.

Why templates make you faster and better

Most creators who post consistently are not more inspired than everyone else. They have systems. A reusable script template means you never start from a blank page. A shot list means you never get to the edit and discover you forgot the close-up of the product. Together they cut production time and make your videos more consistent, which helps viewers recognize your style.

This lesson gives you three script templates for the most common short-form lengths, a shot list template, and a batch-filming plan.

Words per second: plan length before you write

Natural speech on short-form runs at roughly two to three words per second. Use that to size your script:

Target length	Approximate words	Typical beats
15 seconds	30–45	Hook, one point, payoff
30 seconds	60–90	Hook, problem, 2–3 steps, payoff, CTA
60 seconds	120–170	Hook, context, 3–5 steps or story beats, payoff, CTA
2–3 minutes	250–450	Hook, promise, sections with re-hooks, payoff, CTA

Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts both allow videos of up to three minutes, and TikTok allows longer uploads, but length only helps if every second earns its place.

Hands-on: three script templates

TEMPLATE A – 15-SECOND QUICK TIP
[0–2s]  HOOK (visual + text + spoken): ______________________
[2–10s] THE TIP, shown not told: ____________________________
[10–15s] PAYOFF / RESULT + loop line back to the start: _____
On-screen text: ____________   CTA (optional): _____________

TEMPLATE B – 30-SECOND PROBLEM–SOLUTION
[0–3s]   HOOK naming the problem: ___________________________
[3–8s]   WHY IT HAPPENS (agitate): ___________________________
[8–22s]  FIX in 2–3 steps, each with a new visual: ___________
[22–27s] PROOF: before/after, result, or demonstration: ______
[27–30s] ONE CTA: follow | save | comment keyword | link: _____

TEMPLATE C – 60-SECOND STORY
[0–3s]   HOOK: the moment of tension: ________________________
[3–15s]  SETUP: who, where, what was at stake: ______________
[15–40s] CONFLICT: what went wrong, what you tried: __________
[40–52s] RESOLUTION: what worked: ___________________________
[52–60s] LESSON for the viewer + CTA: _______________________

Hands-on: shot list template

A shot list turns the script into a filming plan. One row per shot:

shot_no,script_line,shot_type,framing,camera,location,props,audio,text_overlay,done
1,"Your Reels look dark because of this",A-roll,Medium close-up,Rear cam on tripod,Desk,None,Lav mic,"Why your videos look dark",
2,"You're filming with the window behind you",B-roll,Wide,Handheld,Desk + window,None,Room tone,,
3,"Turn around. Face the window.",A-roll,Medium,Tripod,Facing window,None,Lav mic,,
4,"Instant soft light, no gear",B-roll,Split screen,Tripod,Both setups,None,Music bed,"Before / After",

Shot types to plan every time:

A-roll: you talking to camera.
B-roll: supporting footage: hands, product, screen recordings, process shots, reactions.
Detail shots: close-ups that show texture, labels or small steps.
Transition shots: a hand covering the lens, a whip pan, a door opening, which give the editor clean cut points.
Cover frame: a clean, well-lit frame for the thumbnail or cover image.

Batch filming: a week of content in one session

Write five scripts using the templates on Monday.
Build one combined shot list, grouped by location and setup, not by video. Film every A-roll at the desk first, then every kitchen shot, and so on.
Change your top or accessory between videos if you want them to feel like different days.
Film three hooks for each video while you are set up.
Label clips immediately (V1_S3_take2) or speak the label at the start of the take.

Worked example: a Dubai café's weekly batch

A small café in Dubai Marina posts four Reels a week. The owner writes four scripts on Sunday using Templates A and B: a latte-art quick tip, a "why our cold brew takes 18 hours" explainer, a staff story and a weekend special. The combined shot list groups all counter shots together, then all kitchen shots, then outdoor terrace shots in the soft late-afternoon light. Filming takes 90 minutes instead of four separate sessions, and the editor receives clearly labeled clips with three hooks per video.

Common mistakes

Writing scripts without timing them, then speeding up delivery to fit.
Filming without a shot list and missing B-roll or detail shots.
Grouping batch filming by video instead of by location.
Forgetting a clean cover frame.

Script templates and shot lists you can reuse