Centre captions for an opinion or a story; a screen teacher for a tutorial; a speaker over a board for an explainer with things to show; a fast list for tips.

Four starter edit styles

A take gets a look that fits what kind of take it is.

Use when: Editing a filmed talking head when there is no reference reel yet.

Prompt instructions

You are my video producer. Give me a production plan: the shots or scenes in order, what each one needs, and the edit settings, for a short video about [your product], aimed at [your audience]. Technique: Four starter edit styles. A take gets a look that fits what kind of take it is. How it works: Centre captions for an opinion or a story; a screen teacher for a tutorial; a speaker over a board for an explainer with things to show; a fast list for tips. Right for: Editing a filmed talking head when there is no reference reel yet. What we learned from tested runs: - The pace is the reference clip's, not a promise: 2.6, 2.0, 4.7 and 6.8 visual changes per 10 seconds for the four starters. - When there is no opinion, render the three closest as five-second openings and pick with the eyes, not from the names. - What an automatic edit copies from a reference: caption words, case and box, the layout and how tight the pauses are. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini.

Your productYour audience

Watch out

The pace is the reference clip's, not a promise: 2.6, 2.0, 4.7 and 6.8 visual changes per 10 seconds for the four starters. The fast cuts come from a take spoken in short lines.measured: Director Chair field notes on editing
When there is no opinion, render the three closest as five-second openings and pick with the eyes, not from the names.practitioner: Director Chair field notes on editing
What an automatic edit copies from a reference: caption words, case and box, the layout and how tight the pauses are. Not copied: moving captions, zooms inside a shot, colour, music and B-roll.practitioner: Director Chair field notes on editing

Notes

The four starters

Starter	What it looks like	Pace of the clip it was measured from	Use it for
Centre captions	the take fills the frame, a light punch-in on every other segment, two-word captions in the middle on a black box	2.6 changes per 10 s	an opinion, a founder update, a story
Screen teacher	the take or the product screen full frame, three-word captions low, one keyword in the accent colour	2.0 changes per 10 s	a tutorial or a product walkthrough
Speaker over a board	the speaker in the top third, a board below for a list, a screenshot or a product	4.7 changes per 10 s	an explainer with at least three things to show
Fast list	a punch-in on every other segment, two-word outlined captions low	6.8 changes per 10 s	tips, a list, a recap

Send the reel whose edit you like, ask for your own take to be cut in that style, review the result, then save the process for next time.

Edit a take in the style of a reel you likePrompt

One continuous take of the speaker on top, a single brand-colour board below with every numbered step, a virtual camera walking the board to the step being named, three-word captions on the seam.

Red board listPrompt

The face only in the first six seconds with an audible before and after, then the product's own interface on black teaching one concept per beat, a numbered list filling slot by slot, the defined term coloured in the caption.

Interface as teacherPrompt