Video scripting glossary
Short definitions of the terms creators, editors and marketers use when planning short-form and long-form videos, each with a practical example. Use it to brief an editor, read analytics or understand why a script is structured the way it is.
- Hook
- The opening seconds of a video, built to stop the scroll and give the viewer a reason to keep watching. It can be a spoken line, a visual, on-screen text, or a mix.
- Example: A cooking video opens on a burnt pan with the line, "I ruined this dish three times before I found the fix."
- Related: Hook rate, Cold open, Re-hook
- Retention rate
- The percentage of viewers still watching at a given point in a video, or on average across the whole video. Platforms usually show it as a graph that falls over time.
- Example: Your retention graph drops sharply at 0:03 where a logo animation plays, so you cut the logo and start on the first sentence.
- Related: Watch time, Completion rate, Re-hook
- Pattern interrupt
- A sudden change in visuals, sound, or pacing that breaks a viewer's autopilot and pulls their attention back to the video.
- Example: Halfway through a talking-head explanation, you cut to a close-up with a quick sound effect and a new camera angle.
- Related: Hook, Jump cut, Re-hook
- Open loop
- A question, promise, or unfinished idea that you raise early and resolve later, giving viewers a reason to stay until the answer arrives.
- Example: "There's one caption setting that makes most videos look amateur. I'll show you at the end."
- Related: Payoff, Hook, Retention rate
- CTA (call to action)
- A direct prompt telling viewers what to do next, such as follow, comment, save, or visit a link. It works best when it is a single, specific ask.
- Example: At the end of a editing tutorial you say, "Comment 'checklist' and I'll send you the one I use."
- Related: Payoff, On-screen text, Completion rate
- Watch time
- The total amount of time people spend watching a video, or all your videos. It reflects both how many people watch and how long each one stays.
- Example: A 20-second video watched 100 times at an average of 10 seconds each adds up to 1,000 seconds of watch time.
- Related: Retention rate, Completion rate, Loop
- B-roll
- Supplementary footage that you cut to while the main footage or audio continues. It adds context, variety, and visual interest.
- Example: While you describe your morning routine on camera, the edit cuts to clips of coffee pouring and a laptop opening.
- Related: A-roll, Voiceover, L-cut
- A-roll
- The primary footage of a video, usually the speaker or main subject on camera delivering the core message.
- Example: You film yourself explaining three lighting tips straight to camera, then add other clips on top as B-roll.
- Related: B-roll, Jump cut, J-cut
- Jump cut
- A cut between two clips of the same subject and framing that creates a visible skip in time. Creators use it to remove pauses and tighten pacing.
- Example: You trim every breath and "um" from a talking-head clip so each sentence lands right after the last one.
- Related: A-roll, Pattern interrupt, Beat
- Caption safe zone
- The part of a vertical frame that stays clear of app interface elements like usernames, buttons, and platform captions. Text placed inside it stays readable.
- Example: You move your subtitles up from the very bottom of the frame so the platform's caption and like button don't cover them.
- Related: On-screen text, Thumbnail, CTA (call to action)
- J-cut
- An edit where the audio of the next clip starts before its video appears. The viewer hears what's coming before seeing it.
- Example: You hear a keyboard clacking over your face on camera, then the picture cuts to the laptop screen.
- Related: L-cut, A-roll, B-roll
- L-cut
- An edit where the video switches to the next clip while the audio from the previous clip keeps playing. It's common when cutting to B-roll during speech.
- Example: You keep talking about a product while the picture cuts to a close-up of the product itself.
- Related: J-cut, Voiceover, B-roll
- Re-hook
- A second hook placed mid-video to win back viewers whose attention is starting to drift. It often introduces a new question or a surprising turn.
- Example: Around the midpoint you say, "But here's the part almost everyone gets wrong," and cut to a new visual.
- Related: Hook, Retention rate, Open loop
- Payoff
- The moment a video delivers on what the hook or open loop promised. A clear payoff makes the video feel worth finishing.
- Example: After teasing a faster export method, you finally reveal the exact setting and show the time difference on screen.
- Related: Open loop, Hook, Punchline
- Beat
- The smallest unit of a script or story: one idea, action, or shift, usually paired with a single visual. Short videos are often planned as a sequence of beats.
- Example: Your 30-second script has six beats: hook, problem, step one, step two, result, and CTA.
- Related: Storyboard, Rule of three, Jump cut
- Voiceover
- Narration recorded separately from the on-camera footage and laid over visuals. It lets you explain things the picture alone can't show.
- Example: You record a voiceover for a screen recording of your editing workflow and add B-roll of your desk.
- Related: B-roll, On-screen text, L-cut
- On-screen text
- Words displayed over a video, including captions, titles, labels, and key phrases. It helps viewers who watch without sound and reinforces the main point.
- Example: You show "3 mistakes to avoid" as a title in the first second, then label each mistake as you mention it.
- Related: Caption safe zone, Hook, CTA (call to action)
- Loop
- A video built so the ending flows back into the beginning, making a replay feel seamless. Viewers may watch again without noticing the restart.
- Example: Your last spoken words complete the sentence you started in the opening line, and the final frame matches the first.
- Related: Watch time, Completion rate, Callback
- Completion rate
- The percentage of views in which the viewer watches the video through to the end. It is easier to raise on shorter videos.
- Example: You cut a 45-second video to 28 seconds by removing a slow explanation, aiming for more viewers to reach the ending.
- Related: Retention rate, Watch time, Loop
- Hook rate
- The share of people who keep watching past the first few seconds after the video appears. Definitions vary by platform, but it is often views past 3 seconds divided by impressions.
- Example: You test two openings of the same video and keep the one with the higher hook rate.
- Related: Hook, Retention rate, Thumbnail
- Thumbnail
- The still image that represents a video in a feed, profile grid, or search result. On short-form platforms it may be a chosen frame or an uploaded cover.
- Example: You pick a frame with your face clearly visible and add a three-word title inside the caption safe zone.
- Related: Hook rate, On-screen text, Caption safe zone
- Cold open
- Starting a video in the middle of the action or with its most interesting moment, before any intro, greeting, or title.
- Example: A travel clip begins with you mid-jump off a pier, then rewinds to explain how you got there.
- Related: Hook, Payoff, Pattern interrupt
- Punchline
- The final line or moment of a joke or point, which delivers the twist or surprise the setup was building toward.
- Example: After describing a perfectly organized editing folder, you cut to your real desktop covered in files named "final_final2".
- Related: Payoff, Rule of three, Beat
- Rule of three
- A writing pattern that groups items in threes. The first two set a pattern and the third completes or subverts it, which feels satisfying and memorable.
- Example: "Wake up, make coffee, and open 47 browser tabs."
- Related: Punchline, Beat, Callback
- Callback
- A later reference to something said or shown earlier in the same video. It rewards viewers who stayed and ties the script together.
- Example: You joke about your messy desk in the opening, then end by revealing it's still messy after the "organized" makeover.
- Related: Loop, Punchline, Rule of three
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