A hands-on workbook for social video

Social Video
Field Manual

Plan. Shoot. Edit. Publish.

Turn one story into video for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Write a script, film it, edit for clarity, then use audience evidence to decide what to change.

Get the workbook · $10 Read the free sample

Digital PDF, production templates, and a metrics tool

300workbook pages

36original projects

4learning tracks

$10one-time price in USD

From story to release

What you’ll learn

PROJECTS 01–09

Story, scripting and AI planning

Shape an audience promise, write a spoken script, plan coverage, and use ChatGPT to turn repeatable tasks into reviewable drafts.

PROJECTS 10–18

Camera, lighting and sound

Frame with a phone or camera, control exposure and movement, light people and objects, and record dialogue that is clear enough to cut.

PROJECTS 19–27

Editing, captions and delivery

Build a timeline, trim for rhythm, correct color, mix sound, add effects and graphics, caption, reframe, and check exports.

PROJECTS 28–36

Publishing, engagement and strategy

Adapt hooks, length, and format for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Interpret recommendations and metrics, then build a brand content strategy.

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36 projects

Film one promise for a TikTok audience (pages 9–16)

Build a visual story for Instagram Reels (pages 17–24)

Make a Facebook story that survives being shared (pages 25–32)

Tell a YouTube story at two depths (pages 33–40)

Test three hooks while the payoff stays fixed (pages 41–48)

Write a script a person can say aloud (pages 49–56)

Turn storyboard panels into a workable shoot plan (pages 57–64)

Use ChatGPT to draft ideas from an approved brief (pages 65–72)

Audit a repeatable AI production workflow (pages 73–80)

Set up a phone for a repeatable take (pages 81–88)

Control exposure, focus and flicker (pages 89–96)

Frame the same action for portrait and landscape (pages 97–104)

Move the camera for a reason (pages 105–112)

Shoot coverage that survives a cut (pages 113–120)

Light a face with a window and bounce (pages 121–128)

Record dialogue that survives the edit (pages 129–136)

Capture clean field sound and sync two recordings (pages 137–144)

Wrap a shoot so the edit can start immediately (pages 145–152)

Set up an edit you can reopen (pages 153–160)

Cut for a reason: trims, J-cuts and L-cuts (pages 161–168)

Match two shots before adding a look (pages 169–176)

Clean dialogue without making it sound hollow (pages 177–184)

Build a music and sound cue sheet (pages 185–192)

Make an effect and a graphic serve the action (pages 193–200)

Caption the final cut, then review it muted (pages 201–208)

Reframe a horizontal cut for a vertical viewer (pages 209–216)

Export, review and hand off two clean masters (pages 217–224)

Build a four-platform release matrix (pages 225–232)

Read recommendation signals without guessing the algorithm (pages 233–240)

Build a metric dictionary before comparing posts (pages 241–248)

Diagnose a retention dip against the timeline (pages 249–256)

Run a small creative test you can interpret (pages 257–264)

Build a viewer-response loop (pages 265–272)

Design a video strategy around brand values and objectives (pages 273–280)

Plan a repeatable production calendar (pages 281–288)

Capstone: Deliver and review a four-platform campaign (pages 289–296)

PROJECT 01

Film one promise for a TikTok audience

A promise tells a viewer what they can recognize, make, or decide by the end. A short story delivers that change through evidence. It starts from an identifiable situation, introduces a meaningful obstacle, and ends with a visible change. In this TikTok practice brief, assume the viewer encounters the video without knowing the creator. Let the first frame establish the situation, then earn attention with a demonstration that answers the promise. Choose the smallest complete action you can show.

Workbook pages 9–16

Look inside

Read a workbook page

Select a track to read a page from a worked project. The 10-page sample includes the opening project with its original page numbers.

Preview a track

Open the 10-page sample

Workbook preview from Project 1, Film one promise for a TikTok audience — Project 01 · Film one promise for a TikTok audience · Page 12

Worked campaign

Lantern Repair Café

Follow a fictional repair café campaign from a story promise and shoot plan to four platform edits and a review of their performance.

Before you start

Common questions

Where should a beginner start?

Start with a one-sentence story promise. The first track helps you write a script, identify the proof shot, and make a shoot plan you can follow.

What equipment and software do I need?

Use a phone or camera, a video editor with a timeline, and a way to listen back. Use ChatGPT for the optional AI workflow. The metrics tool runs locally with Python and the included practice CSV.

What does the Python metrics tool do?

It calculates watch and outcome metrics from a synthetic CSV so you can practice comparing edits. The workbook explains why metric definitions, time windows, and denominators matter.

What format do I receive?

You receive the 300-page PDF and a ZIP with copyable projects, a shot list, a caption file, a rights register, and the offline Python metrics tool.

The complete workbook