This Template Makes Scripting 3x Faster

5 minutes

Howdy,

Here is your weekly dose of The Creator Stream, where we learn to craft irresistible video ideas and supercharge your titles & thumbnails!

When I worked for Ali Abdaal as his YouTube Producer, I had the chance to collaborate with some of the smartest people in the YouTube world.

One of them was George Blackman, an insanely talented scriptwriter who has a knack for turning video ideas into fantastic scripts.

He's worked with the likes of Mike Shake, Justin Moore, Ed from Film Booth and Colin & Samir!

So this week, I invited George to guest-write The Creator Stream to break down a simple yet powerful template that makes scripting 3x faster.

If you’ve ever struggled with structuring your ideas or making your scripts flow, this is going to be a game-changer.

Over to you, George 👇

Hey everyone!

This week's tip is a simple one: when you write the first segment of your script, templatize it, then re-use the format throughout the script.

So, when I say “templatize” a script segment, what does this look like?

Well, I frequently talk about this 3-part segment structure:

1. Setup
2. Tension
3. Payoff.

Every segment should follow this structure.

But templatizing a segment means identifying more clearly what setup, tension, payoff looks like for the script you’re working on.

Example!

Let’s say I’m working on a video about how to build a treehouse.

Each segment of the script would probably cover a different part of the treehouse structure (wood, ropes, bolts, etc).

So let’s imagine that, in segment 1, we’re talking about “bolts”.

Instinctively, I’d think about setup, tension, payoff like this:

1. Setup - “Bolts are the most important part of your build. Doesn’t matter how strong the wood is if your bolts don’t hold it together. Yet my clients usually make the same mistake when attaching their first five bolts… which leads to a treehouse that could literally collapse at any moment.

2. Tension* - [Explain what the mistake is. Identify why this causes a problem. Guide the viewer towards the proper technique for attaching bolts.]

3. Payoff - “So that’s why it’s absolutely critical to attach your bolts like this, not like THIS.”

*This is written in a “draft” state. Of course, in the full script, this would be expanded.

So, that’s segment 1.

But now I’ve put all this mental energy into establishing a segment format I like, it’s easy for me to reverse-engineer what I’ve done and create a template I can re-use throughout the video.

Create the Template

In this case, if I break down the format I just created, it’d look like this:

1. Setup - highlight common technique problem and establish stakes.
2. Tension - Explain what the mistake is. Identify why this causes a problem. Guide the viewer towards the proper technique.
3. Payoff - Show the right + wrong techniques side by side.

Now, I can lean on this template for each segment (if I want to).

To be clear, we don’t want the script to be dull.

Pattern interrupt is a huge part of keeping people watching, and it might seem like repeating the same format for every segment is a recipe for boredom.

But there are two reasons why this is not a problem:

1. You don’t have to use the template in literally every segment; it’s there to help if you’re staring at a blank page and struggling to make progress.
2. You can easily disguise the template.

Disguise the Template

Let’s quickly imagine segment 2, where we’re now talking about “ropes”.

While still relying on the templatized version of my setup (“highlight common technique problem and establish stakes”), here’s how I can easily present it in a different way:

1. Setup - “So let’s talk about ropes. First, look at how I’ve tied this knot and decide whether you think this would hold someone’s weight. [Pause. B-Roll, me stepping on the rope - it gives way!] Ok, so why didn’t it?

We’ve created the same effect…

…except now we’re opening with a direct question, then showing the stakes instead of simply explaining them.

It’s the same template, but we’ve disguised it - and created pattern interrupt in the process!

My old headmaster used to bang on about working “smarter, not harder”.

He was a bit of a [REDACTED], but that advice was solid.

Little shortcuts like this will make the scriptwriting process feel way easier over time.

Thanks for explaining that George!

If you want more insights like this, you can join his newsletter here.

Hit reply and let me know if you found this useful!

Have a great weekend! 👋‍

Jamie

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If you're not creating content yet I think that this video will show you why it's so important.

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✅ The exact posting strategy that’s working right now

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✅ A step-by-step content plan you can copy today

You can watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Apple Music

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Jamie