Scripting · Free template

The YouTube script template

The two-column AV script format taught in film-production programs: what's said beside what's seen, pre-structured on the seven beats long-form videos run on. Copy it into Docs, Notion, or anywhere. Free, no signup.

Beat	What's said (audio)	What's seen (video)
Hook · 0:00-0:15	Open on the promise your title made: name the want, open the gap. Written word for word.	The payoff teased: the result, the disaster, the thing itself. Not your face saying hello.
Stakes & setup · 0:15-2:00	Why this matters and what it costs if it fails, said plainly, in one breath.	The world of the video: the space, the materials, the "before".
First attempt	The plan as you believed it. Beat-level notes, improvised delivery.	Process shots: wide → medium → close. The five-shot habit per action.
The complication	What actually happened. React honestly: this is the beat that keeps them watching.	The failure or surprise on camera. The locked-off wide catches what you were too busy to film.
The turn	The insight or decision the complication forced. Different effort, not more.	The change of approach, visible: new tool, new angle, new plan.
Resolution	The payoff, at the scale the title promised. Land it, give it a beat of air.	The reveal shot, which is also your thumbnail candidate. Shoot it on purpose.
The change · last 30-60s	What's different now + the next open question. Written word for word.	Simple wide, corners clear. The end screen lands here.

How to use it

Write the promise first. One sentence: what the viewer gets, and who they are. Every row serves it. (Why the promise leads.)
Script by tier, not word for word. The hook and the last 30 seconds are written verbatim; every middle beat gets a destination sentence and improvised delivery. (The three-tier system.)
The right column is your shot list. Every claim on the left needs an answer on the right: if a row's "seen" cell is "my face, again", the sentence has no evidence yet. (Script to shot list.)
Read it aloud before shoot day and cut 30% on paper: a script cut costs a keystroke; the same cut on the timeline costs a shoot. (The 30% cut.)
The evening after the shoot, check the card against this exact sheet: beat by beat, got-it / partial / missing. (The footage review checklist.)

New to scripting? Start with how to write a video script, the full walkthrough this template came out of. Want the method in depth? The free Scripting module covers ear-first writing, sentence-level pull, and the paper cut. Five lessons, no signup. The format itself is standard production curriculum; see Evergreen State College's A/V script guide or Cornell's production LibGuide.