Storyboard and shot list for a short video

You are a director and video editor. Create a storyboard shot list for this video.

Video idea: [ONE OR TWO SENTENCES, e.g. "a 45-second ad showing how our reusable bottle keeps drinks cold on a hike"]
Platform and format: [e.g. "Instagram Reels, 9:16, sound off by default", "YouTube, 16:9"]
Total length: [SECONDS]
Audience and goal: [e.g. "outdoor enthusiasts; goal: visit the product page"]
How it will be made: [e.g. "filmed on a phone", "stock footage", "AI video generator", "mix"]
Resources and limits: [e.g. "one location, one actor, no drone"]
Brand style: [e.g. "natural light, warm colours, calm pacing"]

Output:
1. A one-line concept and a 3-part structure (hook, middle, ending) with timings.
2. A shot table: # | Time (start-end) | Shot type and framing | Camera movement | What happens | Audio (voice, music, sound effects) | On-screen text.
3. The hook must land in the first [N] seconds and work without sound.
4. For each shot, a one-sentence visual description I can use as a prompt for an AI video tool or as a note for a camera operator.
5. A list of extra B-roll and cutaway shots to capture in case of edits.
6. A check that the shot durations add up to the total length.

Example (excerpt):
| # | Time | Shot | Movement | Action | Audio | Text |
| 1 | 0-2s | Extreme close-up of condensation on the bottle | Static | Water droplet runs down | Ice clink | "6 hours in the sun" |
| 2 | 2-6s | Wide shot of hiker on a ridge at midday | Slow push in | Hiker stops, wipes forehead | Wind, light music starts | - |
| 3 | 6-9s | Medium close-up, side angle | Handheld | Hiker drinks, reacts to how cold it is | Music | "Still ice cold" |

Duration check: 12 shots, total 45 seconds.

When to use it

Use this prompt before filming or generating any short video: ads, social clips, product demos, explainers or event teasers. A shot list saves time on set and in the edit, because everyone knows exactly what to capture. It is equally useful for AI video generators, which usually produce short clips of a few seconds each, so a longer video has to be planned shot by shot anyway.

How to customize it

• [VIDEO IDEA] should state what the viewer should feel or do, not only the topic.
• [PLATFORM AND FORMAT] sets the aspect ratio and pacing. Vertical social video needs a faster hook and captions because many people watch without sound.
• [TOTAL LENGTH] keeps the plan realistic; the duration check catches lists that are too long.
• [HOW IT WILL BE MADE] changes the shots. Phone footage, stock clips and generated clips each have different strengths.
• [RESOURCES AND LIMITS] prevents shots you cannot actually produce.
• [BRAND STYLE] keeps colours, lighting and pace consistent.

Why it works

Professional productions rely on shot lists because they turn a vague idea into concrete, schedulable work. The table forces a decision on framing, movement, sound and text for every moment, which is where most amateur videos lose focus. The three-part structure with a fast hook reflects how short-form video is watched: viewers decide in the first seconds whether to keep watching.

The one-sentence visual descriptions do double duty as instructions for a camera operator and as prompts for AI video tools. Generators are better at short, single-action clips than at long scenes with many events, as our explainer on how AI video generators work describes, so planning one action per shot fits how they work.

Tips and variations

• Read the shot list aloud with a stopwatch to test the pacing.
• For AI-generated shots, keep the character, lighting and style words identical in every prompt for consistency.
• Ask for a second version at half the length for another platform.
• Add “Include captions for every spoken line” for accessibility.
• See our AI video workflow for creators for how this fits into editing and publishing.