How to write a short video script? These templates can be applied directly!

Although a short video is only 60 seconds long, every shot in an excellent short video is carefully designed. Just like a director making a movie, every shot is designed. For lens design, lens script is used.

Some people may ask, is it necessary to write a script for a short video of more than ten seconds? What exactly is a script? What is the function?

What is a script?

Simply put, the script is the basis for our video shooting. All personnel involved in video shooting and editing, including photographers, actors, costume and props preparation, editors, etc., all their behaviors and actions are subject to the script.

The time, place, what appears in the picture, how the camera should be used, what the scene should be, and the preparation of costumes and props are all created based on the script.

The biggest function of the script is to coordinate and arrange in advance what everyone needs to do every step of the way. One form allows you to do more with less.

If there is no script, you will find that while filming, you suddenly realize that the scene is not right, and you can only spend a lot of time to find it again; then the props are not complete, and the actors don’t know how to act. After filming, the editor is even more confused and doesn’t know what ideas to use for editing.

After all this trouble, the whole film was basically ruined.

The script itself is actually a very complex and professional thing, but for short video shooting, this understanding is enough.

What does the script do?

For short videos that promote products, the script has two main functions:

1. Improve video shooting efficiency

As mentioned earlier, the script is actually the shooting outline and framework of the short video.

With this outline and framework, it is equivalent to providing a process guide for subsequent shooting, editing, props preparation, etc.

Just like when we write an article, we first make an outline and then expand the creation based on the outline. This way of writing makes the ideas clearer and the efficiency faster.

2. Improve video shooting quality

Although most short videos promoting products are around 15 seconds long, the longest will not exceed 30 seconds.

But if you want high basic traffic and high conversion rate, you must carefully polish every detail that appears in the video. It includes the scene size, layout of the scenes, preparation of actors' costumes and props, dialogue design, facial expressions, the coordination of music, and the final presentation of editing effects, etc.

Next, I will share from two aspects: script preparation and script design methods.

1. Preliminary preparation of the script

Before writing your short video shooting script, you need to determine the overall content ideas and process of your short video. It mainly includes the following aspects:

1. Shooting Positioning

In the early stage of shooting, we need to determine the form of expression of the content. For example, if you want to make a short video, it can be about food making, clothing matching or a short story.

2. Photograph the subject

The subject is what gives definition to the content. For example, in a clothing series, shooting a dress with monochrome matching is the specific shooting theme.

3. Shooting time

There are two purposes for determining the shooting time. One is to agree on the time with the photographer in advance, otherwise it will affect the shooting progress.

The second is to determine the time so that a feasible shooting plan can be made; there will be no problems with procrastination.

4. Shooting Location

Are you going to shoot an indoor or outdoor scene? For example, for wild food, you should choose a place with green mountains and clear water, and for indoor scenes, you can choose an ordinary family kitchen or an open kitchen. These need to be determined in advance.

5. Shooting reference

Sometimes there are differences between the shooting effect we want and the final effect. We can find similar samples and communicate with the photographer to find out which scenes and lenses express what you want; the photographer can then produce content according to your needs.

6. Background music

BGM is a necessary component of short video shooting, and it is crucial to choose the right music to match the scene.

For example, if you are shooting internet celebrities who are looking for handsome men and beautiful women, you should choose fast-paced pop and hip-hop music. If you are shooting Chinese style music, you should choose aesthetic vlog music with a slower tempo.

When shooting sports-style videos, you should choose rhythmic music with clear drum beats. When shooting parenting and family dramas, you can choose light and warm music. We need to accumulate more experience in this area and learn how others choose BGM.

2. Script creation method

In the shooting script, we need to carefully design each shot, mainly including the following 6 elements:

Lenses

Scenery

content

Quotes

Duration

Camera Movement

Props

1. Shot size

When shooting, which one should be used: long shot, panoramic shot, mid shot, close shot, or close-up?

Take photographing people as an example. The long shot is to capture the entire person and the environment in the picture. It is often used to show the time, environment, scale and atmosphere of an event. For example, some war scenes.

A panorama is a little closer than a long shot, showing the entire body of the person in the picture. It is used to show the person's whole-body movements or the relationship between characters.

The medium shot refers to the part from the knees to the top of the head of the subject, which not only allows the audience to see the character's expression, but also helps to show the character's body movements.

A close-up is a shot of the area from the chest to the head of a person, which is very helpful in showing the expressions and demeanor of the person's face or other parts. Even subtle movements.

A close-up is a shot of a person's eyes, nose, mouth, fingers, toes and other details. It is suitable for showing details that need to be highlighted.

2. Content

It is to present what you want to express through various scenarios. Specifically, it means splitting the script and dividing the content into each shot.

3. Lines

The lines are prepared for camera expression and serve to add the finishing touch. It is recommended that for a short video of 60 seconds, the text should not exceed 180 words, otherwise it will be very tiring to listen to.

4. Duration

This length refers to the length of a single shot. Marking it clearly in advance will help you find the key points during editing and improve your editing efficiency.

5. Camera Movement

Camera movement refers to the way the camera moves. From near to far, translational propulsion, and rotational propulsion are all possible. Let me tell you about some camera techniques that are often used in short video shooting:

Push forward and pull back

It refers to moving the lens closer or farther away from the subject at a constant speed. Moving the lens forward is done by moving the camera from far to near, gradually changing the scene from long shot, medium shot to close shot, or even a close-up. This method of camera movement can easily highlight the subject and gradually focus the viewer's vision.

Surround camera

To shoot a surround shot, you need to keep the camera in the same position and use the handheld stabilizer to rotate around the subject.

The surround camera movement is like a patrolling perspective, which can highlight the subject, express emotions, and make the whole picture more tense.

Low-angle camera

Low-angle camera movement simulates the perspective of a pet, allowing the camera to shoot at a low angle or even close to the ground. The closer to the ground, the stronger the sense of space presented.

Low-angle shooting can focus more on a certain part, the most common of which is legs walking. This type of lens is effective in many scenes!

There are many other ways to move the camera. Once you are proficient in using the stabilizer, you can add other elements to the basic camera movements to make the shots look cooler and more dynamic.

6. Props

There are many kinds of props to choose from and many ways to play, but it should be noted that props serve to add the finishing touch, not to be superfluous. Don't let it steal the show.

In addition, some multi-scene videos also need to design the shooting location and script paradigm , which is probably like this:

Author: Doushang Media

Source: Doushang Media