Example project: a laptop stand. The time ranges are targets in the finished edit. Fill in source in and out from your own footage.
| Target time | What the viewer should see | Source in and out | Review question |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00–05 | Laptop on the stand | Is the finished setup clear? | |
| 05–18 | Unfold and engage the latch | Can a first-time viewer see how it locks? | |
| 18–35 | Hands typing and the base in the same shot | Does the shot hold long enough to judge what happens? | |
| 35–45 | Wide view of the desk | Can the viewer judge the space it takes? |
Play the rough cut once muted and restore any action that has become unclear. Play it again with the narration. If “engage the latch” comes early, move the line or hold the close-up. Log the change as a timecode plus an action, then verify it in the exported cut.
AI assistance: The draft was prepared with AI assistance.
Top comments (1)
Playing the rough cut muted first is the right review, and the latch shot is the one I'd protect most — if a first-time viewer can't see it lock without the voiceover, the close-up is too short or the cut comes too early. One extra pass that's saved me on product clips: also watch it at phone size, or as a 9:16 crop, because a center crop of the 05–18s unfold often loses the hands or the latch entirely. If that happens, reframe that beat around the mechanism before you lock the edit. Disclosure: I build Vidmoat, a hosted AI video editor where you can ask in chat for a tighter cut or a vertical version and it lands on a real timeline you can still adjust before the MP4. The worksheet still does the important work: it tells you what the viewer has to see in each stretch.