A video that nobody wrote down tends to open on whatever was in front of the camera. A script decides the first second before anyone films. Here’s the format, with four of our films broken down.
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What a short video script is
A short video script is a one-page plan of a film under a minute or so: what the first second shows, each shot in order, what anyone says, the words on screen, and the moment it ends on. It’s written as shots, not paragraphs, so the person filming knows exactly what to point the camera at, and the person editing knows what the film is for.
The template
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| Hook | The first second: the image or the line that stops the scroll. |
| Beats | Each shot in a few words, with who says what. |
| Payoff | The punchline, the first bite or the reveal. End on it. |
| On-screen text | What someone reads with the sound off. |
| Caption | One line for the post, in your own voice. |
Write it as shots, not paragraphs. If a line doesn’t change what the camera sees or what someone hears, cut it.
Why the hook comes first
A stranger can scroll past in the first second, and the platforms’ advice reflects it. Instagram’s advice to creators: “Make a good first impression. Pull the viewer in within the first 3 seconds, and keep them interested the whole time” (Instagram for Creators). TikTok gives watching to the end as its example of a strong signal: “whether a user finishes watching a longer video from beginning to end” (TikTok Newsroom). So the script starts with the hook and ends on the payoff, and everything between earns its place.
Five kinds of hook
- The thing itself: the food on the grill, the car on the lift, the drink being poured.
- A line everyone has heard: “Can you fix it in an hour?”
- A question: “What’s the thing about this place?”
- Something wrong: a latte that comes back half empty.
- A pattern about to break: a list, where the viewer waits for the last item.
A worked script: fifteen seconds
For example, a café’s new seasonal drink, written before anyone films:
| Seconds | Camera | Sound | On screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Close on the cup as the first layer goes in | The pour | “New this week” |
| 2 to 8 | Each layer, one shot each | Steam wand, the spoon | Nothing |
| 8 to 12 | The barista slides it across the counter | The cup set down | The drink’s name |
| 12 to 15 | A guest’s first sip, a raised eyebrow | “Oh.” | Nothing: end here |
Four beats, one line of dialogue, two lines of text, and the film ends on the reaction. Caption: where to find it, and until when.
A skit: the tip screen
Seven seconds for Adobo Mexican Grill. Hook: the boss, behind the counter: “Great job today, you’re killing it!” Payoff: the answer is the tip screen, held up to the camera. Caption: Adobo’s own line, “Great job isn’t said enough… so here it is.” Two beats, and every worker who has heard that sentence gets it.
A whodunnit: who drank it?
Ten seconds for Azal Coffee. Hook: a Spanish latte comes back half empty. Beat: the barista asks the room, “What the heck? Who drank this?” Payoff: the answer walks in behind her, in an apron and a foam moustache. The drink is the punchline.
A list: wallet, keys, pita
For Shah’s Halal Food, a man in a suit lists what everyone keeps in their pocket: the wallet, the keys, “but not me”. Payoff: he pulls out a Shah’s pocket pita, sauce on. Lists work because the viewer knows the pattern and waits for the break.
A food film: no words at all
The wrap film for Da.Si.Mar Shawarma is an order of shots: the bread warmed against the spit, the sauce, the beef, pickles and fries, pomegranate molasses, then rolled and pressed on the grill. Twenty-four seconds, no words on screen, and it went viral. Even a film with no words has a shot order to decide.
Writing the words on screen
Words on screen are for people watching with the sound off. If someone speaks, caption what they say, word for word and easy to read, for anyone who can’t hear it. Keep any other words to a line or two, in the middle of the frame, and on screen long enough to read twice. Instagram’s advice is “9 x 16 vertical videos with no borders, where text does not cover the majority of the screen” (Instagram for Creators). Those other words should add something the picture can’t: a name, a time, the line that makes the joke.
Write it yourself, from your own business
A script built from your own counter, kitchen or shop floor also fits what Meta says about Facebook: its advice is that pages and profiles “receive the greatest distribution when they consist primarily of original content that you filmed or created”, and to “Tell a story” (Meta for Creators, 14 July 2025). Borrow a format if it fits, but fill it with your own people and your own product.
Five rules we write by
- One idea per video.
- Decide the first second before anything else.
- End on the payoff. Nothing after it.
- Write the on-screen text for the sound off.
- Read it aloud. If it sounds written, rewrite it.
Common mistakes
- A greeting, a logo or a walk in before anything happens.
- Two ideas in one film, so neither lands.
- Dialogue with no captions, lost on anyone watching without sound.
- An ending after the ending: a thank-you, a logo, a “follow for more”.
- Scripting dialogue nobody would say at your counter.
A checklist before you film
- The hook is written, and it shows or says something in the first second.
- Every shot has one job.
- The payoff is the last frame.
- Anything said is captioned; any other on-screen text is a line or two and adds something.
- Someone who has never heard of you would get it.
- The caption has a job the video doesn’t do: “How to write a caption”.
Want the scripts written for you?
DIY is our strategy and content plan for teams that film themselves: 20 complete post scripts, with references, captions and storyboard, for $1,750 a month. Or we write, film, edit and post it all, on any of our plans.
Questions owners ask
What is a hook in a short video?
The first second: the image or the line that makes someone stop scrolling. Write it before anything else. Instagram’s advice is to pull the viewer in within the first 3 seconds.
How long is a script for a fifteen-second video?
A few lines: three to five shots and one or two spoken lines. The worked example above has four beats and one line of dialogue.
Do food videos need a script?
They need a shot order. Our viral wrap for Da.Si.Mar Shawarma had no words on screen: it follows one wrap step by step, from the bread warmed against the spit to the press.
Should the words on screen repeat what’s said?
Captions of the dialogue should, word for word, for people who can’t hear it. Any other text should add something the picture can’t, kept to a line or two in the middle of the frame.
Can you write the scripts for my team?
Yes. DIY ($1,750 a month) gives your team our strategy and content plan, with 20 complete post scripts, with references, captions and storyboard.
Keep reading
- PlanningHow to plan a month of posts: a content calendar
- Making videosHow to edit short videos for TikTok and Reels
- Making videosHow to write captions for Reels and TikToks
- RestaurantsRestaurant video ideas for TikTok and Reels
Sources
- Instagram for Creators, What creators need to know about Instagram recommendations, 30 August 2022, updated 25 April 2023, read
- TikTok Newsroom, How TikTok recommends videos #ForYou, 18 June 2020, read
- Meta for Creators, Combating unoriginal content to protect and elevate creators, 14 July 2025, read
Updates
- : Lengthened: what a script is, the hook in the platforms’ words (Instagram’s creators’ page, TikTok’s recommendation post and Meta’s originality post read), a worked fifteen-second script, writing for the sound off, five kinds of hook, common mistakes and a checklist.
- : Corrected: the Da.Si.Mar answer describes the wrap film’s shots, not how they were planned.