Shoots in Ghana often happen in tight windows: a shop owner who can give you thirty minutes before customers arrive, a programme that happens once, light that disappears at six. If you arrive without a plan, you forget shots and have to come back, spending more transport money, battery and goodwill. Some content adverts ask for planning and scripted video, and skills frameworks for content creators list scriptwriting and storyboarding, because planning is what makes a creator reliable.
The script
A script is the words: what will be said on camera, in voice over or as on screen text. For short videos it can be very short. A useful layout on a phone is two columns, or simply alternating lines:
- Say: what you or the speaker says.
- Show: what the viewer sees at that moment.
For a thirty second video, aim for roughly sixty to eighty spoken words. Read it aloud with a timer. If you rush, cut words.
If you are filming real people, such as a customer giving a testimony, do not write their words for them. Instead, write the questions you will ask, so their answers stay natural and true.
The storyboard
A storyboard is a row of rough sketches, one per shot. Stick figures are fine. It helps you and the client agree on what the video will look like before anyone films. You can draw on paper and photograph it, or use simple boxes in a notes app.
The shot list
The shot list is your checklist on the day. For each shot, note: