Free Video Script Template
(Two-Column AV Format)

An AV (audio visual) script is a table with two columns. The audio column holds the voiceover, dialogue, music, and sound design. The visual column describes what is on screen at the same moment. Each row is one scene or shot, so anyone reading it can see exactly which words play over which picture. It is the standard format for commercials, explainers, brand films, and most agency video work.

AV script format means one row per scene with the visual description on one side and the audio on the other, plus a scene number and usually a running time. Keep the visual column literal (what the camera sees, what text is on screen), keep the audio column word for word as it will be recorded, and keep the two columns in sync so row three of the audio always plays over row three of the visuals. Some teams put visual on the left and audio on the right, others the reverse. Both are correct as long as the whole team uses the same one. See the worked example above.

The template counts the words in the audio column and divides by a reading speed. The default is 130 words per minute, which is close to a natural voiceover read for commercials and explainers. Presets cover slow (100), normal (130), and fast (160), and you can set anything from 50 to 300 for a specific voice or language. Real reads vary by a few seconds either way, so treat the number as a working estimate and confirm it at the record. The script timer does the same calculation for a script you already have.

At 130 words per minute a 30-second spot is about 65 words of voiceover. A 15 is around 32 words, a 60 is around 130, and a two-minute explainer is roughly 260. If the visuals need room to breathe, or there is on-screen text to read, write fewer words than the maths allows.

As long as the placement allows and no longer. Paid social and pre-roll are 6 to 30 seconds. TV spots are 15, 30, or 60. Explainers and product demos work best at 60 to 120 seconds. Corporate and training videos can run longer, but attention drops sharply after two minutes, so break longer material into chapters. Decide the runtime before you write, then let the timing column keep you honest.

Any script that pairs pictures with sound: TV and digital commercials, explainer videos, corporate and training videos, YouTube videos, documentary narration and interviews, and short-form social. The template picker in the editor has a starting structure for each, and there are dedicated pages for the commercial, explainer, corporate, YouTube, documentary, and short-form templates.

Open with the payoff in the first ten seconds, then structure the body around three to five points the viewer came for, and end with a single next step. Write the audio column as you would say it out loud, and use the visual column for b-roll, on-screen text, and cutaways so the edit is planned before you record. The YouTube script template gives you that structure as a starting point.

You do not need one. The template on this page is a working editor: write here, export a typeset PDF, or save the script to Boords. If you would rather build your own, the format is a three-column table (scene, audio, visual) with a running time under it, and the worked example above shows the conventions.

Yes. Export a PDF in A4 or US Letter with the scene, visual, and audio columns intact and the runtime totals under each scene, or copy the script as text to paste anywhere. If you save the script to Boords you also get Word (.docx) exports, Markdown, and plain text, plus a review link for feedback.

No. Write, time, and export without signing up. Your draft is not saved anywhere, not on our servers and not in your browser, so copy or export it before you leave. Creating a free Boords account is only needed when you want to save the script, share a review link, keep versions, or turn it into a storyboard.

Settle the brief first: audience, the one action, the runtime, and the platform. Outline the beats as single lines and agree the order. Write the audio column as it will be spoken, then fill the visual column against it. Cut to the runtime, read it aloud, send it for sign-off, and only then storyboard it. The template on this page is where the writing happens; the full method with a worked example is in our guide to how to write a video script.

A screenplay is the format for film and television drama: scene headings, action lines, and centred dialogue on a single column, written for a director and cast. A video script is written for a producer and an editor. It pairs the words with the pictures, row by row, and includes the runtime, so a client can approve it and a crew can shoot from it. If you are writing a feature or a TV episode, use screenwriting software. If you are writing a commercial, explainer, or brand film, use this. Our guide to how to write a script covers both.