Tutorial Video Shot List Template
Tutorials fail when the viewer cannot see the thing they are supposed to copy. Almost always this is because the process was filmed from one angle, and that angle was the one where your own hand blocks the important part.
This list solves that by covering every step twice — once wide enough to see context, once close enough to see the detail.
The shot list
Setup and promise
- 01Hook: the finished result, shown first
- 02Piece to camera — what the viewer will be able to do by the end
- 03Wide of the full workspace
- 04Every tool and material laid out, overhead
- 05Close on each individual item as you name it
Every step, twice
Wide for context, close for detail. This is the whole discipline of a tutorial.
- 06Step wide — hands and workspace both visible
- 07Step close — the detail the viewer must copy
- 08Overhead of the step where hands would otherwise block the view
- 09The tricky part, slowed or repeated
- 10The common mistake, filmed deliberately
- 11The correction of that mistake
Detail and inserts
- 12Macro of any measurement, setting, or marking
- 13Screen recording of any digital step
- 14Text or number that needs to be readable on screen
- 15Progress checkpoints — what it should look like at this stage
Result
- 16Finished result, wide
- 17Finished result, close and detailed
- 18Result being used or tested
- 19Side-by-side of start and finish
- 20Sign-off to camera
Tips for this kind of shoot
- Film the overhead angle for anything involving hands. It is the shot that stops your own arm blocking the demonstration.
- Film the finished result first. If something goes wrong later you still have your hook.
- Include the mistake. Tutorials that show the failure mode are more useful and hold attention longer.
Use this list on your next shoot
Storeyz keeps your shots in story order for planning and regroups them by location for the day — then you tick them off on your phone as you get them.
Questions
What camera angles do I need for a tutorial video?
Three: a wide showing you and the workspace, a close on the detail, and an overhead looking down at your hands. The overhead is the one most people skip and the one that most often makes the difference.