AI VideoAI Video · Lesson 06

Story, Beats & Shot Lists

Structuring a 60-second piece before you generate a single frame.

Video tutorialTrack course · Youri van Hofwegen

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Transcript & captions

7/7

AI removes production cost, which means the only remaining differentiator is story. A 60-second piece is roughly 15-20 shots. Write them down before you spend a single credit.

Beat	Duration	Purpose
Hook	0-3s	Stop the scroll — motion or a question
Setup	3-15s	Who, where, what's at stake
Escalation	15-40s	Complication, rising tension
Turn	40-52s	Reveal or reversal
Resolution	52-60s	Payoff and a clean last frame

Shot list as datajs

const shots = [
  { id: 1, len: 3, type: 'wide',   desc: 'City skyline at dusk, drones rising' },
  { id: 2, len: 2, type: 'close',  desc: 'Courier eyes reflecting a hologram' },
  { id: 3, len: 4, type: 'track',  desc: 'Running through neon market crowd' },
];
console.log('Runtime:', shots.reduce((n, s) => n + s.len, 0), 'seconds');

Alternate shot sizes. Wide, close, wide, medium reads as cinema; five wides in a row reads as a screensaver.

Knowledge check

0/2 answered

Roughly how many shots does a 60-second piece need?

The hook must land within...