{"id":5265,"date":"2026-04-12T22:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T20:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clarasoteras.com\/?p=5265"},"modified":"2026-04-12T22:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T20:56:14","slug":"short-form-video-playbook-washington-post-dave-jorgenson-ona26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clarasoteras.com\/en\/blog\/short-form-video-playbook-washington-post-dave-jorgenson-ona26\/","title":{"rendered":"Script First, Cut Fast: Inside The Washington Post\u2019s Short\u2011Form Video Playbook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019ve all been there. You spend hours planning, shooting, and editing what you think is a killer video, only to post it and hear\u2026 crickets. In a world saturated with content, how do you actually stop the scroll and make something that connects? It\u2019s a question that plagues creators and marketers alike.<\/strong> We often think we know the rules \u2014 high production value, chasing trends, perfect scripts\u2014but what if the real secrets to success are the exact opposite of what we\u2019ve been told?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a recent workshop, one I was lucky enough to attend during the ONA26 Conference in Chicago<\/strong>, a trio of video experts \u2014Dave Jorgenson<\/a><\/strong>, known for his pioneering work with The Washington Post\u2019s TikTok<\/strong>, Micah Gelman<\/a><\/strong>, Former Director of Video at The Washington Post, and Lauren Saks<\/a><\/strong>, a key strategist behind their success and previously Deputy Director of Video for The Washington Post\u2014 pulled back the curtain on their creative process. They also shared how they\u2019ve since launched Local News International<\/a>, a project delivering political news through video platforms that is already achieving staggering reach. <\/strong>Along the way, they offered a wealth of practical, surprising, and game-changing insights for creating compelling short-form video. We’ve distilled their best advice into a guide that will fundamentally change how you approach your next project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Your Most Important Tool Isn’t Your Camera \u2014 It’s Your Script<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an era of spontaneous, off-the-cuff-feeling videos, it\u2019s easy to assume you can just turn on the camera and start talking. Dave Jorgenson argues this is a critical mistake.<\/strong> The script, he insists, is the bedrock of a successful video. A weak script leads to a chaotic editing process and potential reshoots, but a strong one provides a solid foundation.<\/strong> This might feel counter-intuitive for a medium that values authenticity, but a good script isn\u2019t about sounding robotic; it’s about structuring your thoughts to create a clear beginning, middle, and end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To take it a step further, Micah Gelman championed the two-column script.<\/strong> In this format, you write your dialogue in one column and, simultaneously, plan the corresponding visual for every single line in the column next to it. <\/strong>This forces you to think visually from the beginning and prevents the dreaded “what do I show here?” problem during the edit. Every sentence should have a visual counterpart, whether it’s a different camera angle, a graphic, or B-roll footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I think if you have a bad script, you’re going to spend way more time than you wanted to in the edit or reshoots at all. So having a really good script gives you a good head start. And I probably, outside of editing, spend the most time on writing than anything else.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014 Dave Jorgenson<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

2. Forget Breaking News \u2014 Debunk It Instead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In a world obsessed with being first, it\u2019s tempting to rush out a video the second a story breaks.<\/strong> But Jorgenson argues this is a dangerous game, as early reports often change, turning your well-intentioned video into unintentional misinformation. The more valuable \u2014and evergreen\u2014 approach? Focus on what people got wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This “debunking” strategy serves a dual purpose. <\/strong>First, it provides a genuine public service by correcting the record. Second, these explainer videos have a much longer shelf life, racking up views long after the initial news cycle has passed. It’s a shift from chasing momentary relevance to creating lasting value. As Gelman adds for those who must cover developing stories, “leave the numbers out of your news… numbers are going to change.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“If you make a breaking news story about something that just happened, a lot of the facts may change or something develops to the point that the video that you made the day before is no longer accurate. Accidentally, you’ve created almost misinformation in a weird way.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014 Dave Jorgenson<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

3. The “Fourth Take” is Your Secret Weapon for Authenticity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How do you read a script without sounding<\/em> like you’re reading a script? <\/strong>The answer is surprisingly simple: repetition. Don’t try to memorize your entire script at once. It will sound stiff and unnatural. Instead, focus on one sentence at a time and repeat it three or four times on camera. Lauren Saks shared a fascinating insight: the best take is almost always the last one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the fourth take, you\u2019ve exhausted the part of your brain that’s trying to “perform.” You’ve worn yourself out a bit, and what’s left is your natural, casual, and authentic self. That’s the delivery that truly connects with an audience. This reframes mistakes and repetition not as failures, but as necessary steps toward a more genuine performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We also find if you do a line three or four times, it’s almost always like the fourth one that’s the one because you kind of worn yourself out and wearing yourself out is when you deliver your most authentic self.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014 Lauren Saks<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

4. Stop Chasing Trends and Start Owning Your Voice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The pressure to jump on every trending sound or meme is immense. But Jorgenson offers a liberating alternative: focus on developing a unique voice and format that works everywhere.<\/strong> Your brand should be the content itself, not the trend it’s attached to.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially true as platforms mature. “Especially on TikTok these days, people are, they don’t really care as much about trends. They’re looking for, you know, an interesting voice, a unique voice,” <\/strong>he argues. The goal isn’t to blend in; it’s to create a signature style that people seek out, no matter where they find you. This is where your unique passions come in. If a creator is genuinely excited about a “nerdy” topic, the audience feels that passion, and it becomes contagious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Never, Ever Zoom With Your Camera\u2014Shoot in 4K Instead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This might be the single most transformative tip for improving your video quality. It feels natural to pinch and zoom on your phone’s screen, but that smooth zoom is almost always digital, not optical. It’s just enlarging pixels, which instantly degrades your image quality. The professional workaround is to shoot in 4K resolution but frame your shot wider than you think you need.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you place that 4K footage on a 1080p editing timeline (the standard for social video), you have a massive canvas to work with. You can then “punch in”\u2014effectively cropping and zooming in\u2014without losing any clarity. This gives you incredible flexibility to reframe shots, create dynamic movement, and fix framing mistakes in post-production. It\u2019s like having a multi-camera setup with just one phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6. Your Audio is a Separate, Sacred Entity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want to instantly elevate your content from amateur to professional, stop relying on your phone\u2019s built-in microphone. The pros treat audio as a completely separate element from video during recording. <\/strong>For years, Jorgenson’s team recorded audio using dedicated equipment like a Zoom recorder paired with a lavalier (lav) mic to ensure a rich, clean sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t have a big budget? Even affordable Bluetooth mics are a huge step up. And don’t stress about the mic being visible. As Jorgenson notes, in the age of podcasts, “no one cares.” A simple but crucial pro-tip from Micah Gelman: always use a windscreen (the fuzzy or foam cover), even indoors. It protects your audio not just from wind, but from the subtle hum of air conditioning and the “popping” sounds from your own speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Yeah, there’s air conditioning in this room… And you’ll hear it, especially if you’re the only one in the room. If there’s nothing, you’ll pick up the air conditioning.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014 Micah Gelman<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

7. Average Watch Time Is Your North Star Metric<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In a world obsessed with follower counts and viral views, it\u2019s easy to chase the wrong goals. Lauren Saks urges creators to focus on a metric that signals true audience investment: average watch time<\/strong>. This is your most honest feedback loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re producing three-minute videos but your audience consistently drops off after 12 seconds, you\u2019re wasting resources<\/strong>. The goal should be to make shorter videos first and earn the right to your audience’s time. Her team spent years building up their audience\u2019s attention span, starting with 13-second videos and gradually stretching it to nearly three minutes. Tracking this metric helps you understand if your videos are too long for your current audience and allows you to make data-backed decisions about content strategy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Your Mistakes and Comment Section Are a Content Goldmine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A typo in the caption or a minor misstatement can feel like a disaster. The impulse is to delete and hide. Instead, Saks suggests that correcting a small error in the comments can be a “wonderful way to get something right,” showing humility and building trust. For bigger ideas, the comment section is a content-generation engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dave Jorgenson highlights the power of the “video reply” feature. When you reply to a user’s question with a new video, it shows you’re listening and provides instant context for new viewers. <\/strong>This turns a single question into a standalone piece of content that addresses a proven point of interest for your entire audience, fostering community while populating your feed with relevant material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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9. Give Yourself Grace: The Pros Mess Up, Too<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most reassuring takeaways was the admission that things constantly go wrong. Even with thousands of videos under their belts, these creators still face technical glitches and forgotten lines. The day before their talk, their team had to reshoot a single scene four times due to a microphone failure.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lesson is to build checks and balances into your process\u2014like always filming a quick test shot to check your framing, lighting, and audio\u2014and, most importantly, to give yourself grace. Mistakes are an inevitable part of the creative process, not a sign of failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Yesterday, we reshot one scene four times… because the audio wasn’t working, and that wasn’t even user error at that point, it was something wrong with the mic, but that’s, that would be like, what, my 5,000th video, and still we’re having, you know, you have an issue.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014 Dave Jorgenson<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Key Takeaways for Your Next Video<\/h3>\n\n\n\n