Video Content Plan Template: Shot List and Script (Free)

Free, no signup · Updated 15 October 2026 · Opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers

Download

Video plan: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
Script outline: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
Shot list: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)

In Google Sheets: File, Import, Upload, then pick the CSV.

What's inside

A video plan: each video's platforms, goal, length, frame, hook, key message, call to action, film date and status
A script outline: every section with its timing, what's said, the on-screen text and the shot it uses
A shot list: each shot's framing, angle, location, props, length and orientation, ticked off on the day
A filled example for Fernhill Plants, a fictional plant shop (every detail is made up), and a blank CSV of each sheet

How to use it

Start each video with its goal and the one thing viewers should remember.
Choose the platforms and the frame before filming: vertical for short videos, horizontal for longer ones.
Write the hook first. It's the first second or two, said and shown, and decides whether people keep watching.
Outline the script in sections with rough timings, so you know the video fits the length you planned.
Turn the outline into a shot list, then group shots by location so you film efficiently.
On filming day, tick off each shot and film a few extra close-ups for cutaways.
Check each platform's current length and size rules before you export, as they change.

Preview: Video plan

A filled example for a made-up small business.

Video	Platforms	Goal	Length we aim for	Frame	Hook	Key message	Call to action	Film date	Status
V1 Repotting a plant in 45 seconds	Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts	Show we know plants; bring people to the repotting service	45 seconds	Vertical 9:16	Your plant's roots are trying to tell you something.	Repot when roots circle the pot, one size up	Bring it in and we'll repot it for you	Mon 9 Nov	Edited
V2 Five plants for a dark flat	Instagram Reels, TikTok	Sell low-light plants before winter	30 seconds	Vertical 9:16	No sunlight? These five won't mind.	These five cope with low light	All five are in the shop this week	Mon 9 Nov	Filmed
V3 Shop tour and how we choose our plants	YouTube, Facebook	Trust from people who've never visited	6 minutes	Horizontal 16:9	Every plant here was chosen by hand. Here's how.	We check every plant before it's sold	Visit, or order for local delivery	Mon 16 Nov	Planned
V4 Winter watering mistakes	Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts	Save-worthy advice	35 seconds	Vertical 9:16	Stop watering your plants like it's July.	Water less in winter; check the soil first	Save this for December	Mon 16 Nov	Idea

Preview: Script outline

A filled example for a made-up small business.

Video	Section	Time	What's said (voiceover)	On-screen text	Shot
V1	Hook	0:00 to 0:03	Your plant's roots are trying to tell you something.	Roots circling the pot?	S1
V1	Problem	0:03 to 0:10	When roots wrap round the inside of the pot, the plant can't take up water properly.	Root-bound	S2
V1	Step 1	0:10 to 0:18	Pick a pot just one size bigger, with a drainage hole.	One size up	S3
V1	Step 2	0:18 to 0:27	Loosen the roots gently with your fingers.	Loosen, don't tear	S4
V1	Step 3	0:27 to 0:36	Fresh compost round the sides, firm it lightly, then water well.	Firm, then water	S5, S6
V1	Result	0:36 to 0:40	That's it. It'll settle in over a couple of weeks.	Done	S7
V1	Call to action	0:40 to 0:45	Don't fancy the mess? Bring it in and we'll repot it for you.	Repotting in store	S8

Preview: Shot list

A filled example for a made-up small business, first 8 of 11 rows.

Shot	Video	Description	Framing	Angle	Location	Props	Length	Orientation	Done
S1	V1	Plant lifted out of its pot, roots circling	Close-up	Eye level	Potting bench	Root-bound monstera	4 seconds	Vertical	Yes
S2	V1	Finger tracing the circling roots	Extreme close-up	Top down	Potting bench	Same plant	5 seconds	Vertical	Yes
S3	V1	Old pot next to the new pot	Medium	Eye level	Potting bench	Two pots	4 seconds	Vertical	Yes
S4	V1	Hands loosening the roots	Close-up	Top down	Potting bench	Plant	8 seconds	Vertical	Yes
S5	V1	Compost poured in round the sides	Close-up	45 degrees	Potting bench	Compost, trowel	6 seconds	Vertical	Yes
S6	V1	Watering until it drains	Medium	Eye level	Sink	Watering can	5 seconds	Vertical	Yes
S7	V1	Finished plant turned to camera	Medium	Eye level	Shop floor, window light	Plant in new pot	4 seconds	Vertical	Yes
S8	V1	Ana at the counter, speaking to camera	Medium close-up	Eye level	Counter	Repotting sign	5 seconds	Vertical	Yes

Tips

Fernhill Plants, its staff and every detail in the example are made up. The video lengths are the example shop's choices, not platform rules.
Platforms change their length, size and format rules, so check each one's help centre before you export rather than relying on old guides.
Film vertical and horizontal versions on purpose if you need both. Cropping a horizontal video to vertical often cuts off the action.
Add captions to every video, for people watching with the sound off and for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Ask before filming customers or staff, and note who agreed in the shot list.
Zolyp, which makes this template, publishes to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and the other platforms it supports and writes each platform its own caption, so the posts around a new video can be planned and approved in the same week.

Common questions

What should a video content plan include?

For each video: the platforms, goal, target length, frame, hook, key message, call to action, film date and status. A script outline with timings and a shot list make filming day faster.

What's the difference between a script outline and a shot list?

The script outline is what the viewer hears and reads, section by section, with timings. The shot list is what the camera films: each shot's framing, angle, location and props. Each line of the outline points to the shots it needs.

Should I film vertically or horizontally?

Vertical suits short videos watched on phones, such as Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Horizontal suits longer YouTube videos. Decide before filming, and film both if you need both.

Is the plant shop real?

No. Fernhill Plants, its staff and its videos are made up to show how a filled plan reads.

Video content plan template with a shot list and script outline