Videographers playbook · 5 free jobs

AI for videographers: 5 jobs to hand to AI this week

Your edit is still your craft. These jobs use AI for the slow parts around it: logging interviews, captions, turning a vague brief into a plan and making sense of client feedback.

Job 1 of 5CapCutDescriptDaVinci Resolve Studio

Transcribe interviews and make accurate captions

Captions make your films watchable on mute and accessible, and a transcript lets you edit talking heads by reading instead of scrubbing.

Time: 10 to 20 minutes for a 10-minute interviewCost: free tools work

Free: Descript's free plan (1 media hour a month at the time of writing) or CapCut auto captions (CapCut's own pages disagree on whether this needs Pro, and it may vary by region). Paid: DaVinci Resolve Studio's "Create Subtitles from Audio" (not in the free Resolve)

Steps

  1. Export the interview audio or drop the clip into your editor of choice.
  2. In CapCut, use Captions then Auto captions. In Descript, import the file and it transcribes automatically. If you own Resolve Studio, use Timeline, then Create Subtitles from Audio. The free Resolve can import an .srt made elsewhere but can't create one.
  3. Set the language to English (UK) where the option exists.
  4. Read the whole transcript against the audio. Fix names, place names, jargon and anything mumbled.
  5. Export captions as an .srt file for YouTube or Vimeo, or burn them in for social cuts.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
I've pasted an auto-generated transcript below from a [corporate / wedding / event] video in the UK.
Clean it up without changing meaning:
- Fix obvious mis-hearings but put [CHECK?] next to any word you're not sure about rather than guessing.
- Correct spelling of these names and terms: [list names, company names, place names, jargon].
- British spelling. Keep "um"s out, but don't reword what people said.
- Keep the timestamps exactly as they are.
Transcript:
[paste transcript or .srt contents]

✓ Check before you send

  • Every [CHECK?] is checked against the audio.
  • Names and company names are spelt right. These are the errors clients notice first.
  • Captions don't put words in anyone's mouth. A quote changed by AI is still your mistake.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑
Job 2 of 5ClaudeChatGPTGemini

Pull the strongest soundbites from an hour of interview

Finding the 6 lines that carry the story is the slowest part of a corporate or documentary edit. AI can give you a shortlist to check.

Time: About 15 minutesCost: free tools work

Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini (free), using the transcript from job 1

Steps

  1. Get a timestamped transcript (see job 1).
  2. Paste the prompt below and then the transcript. Long transcripts may need splitting into two or three parts on free plans.
  3. Treat the result as a shortlist. Jump to each timestamp and listen, because delivery matters as much as words.
  4. Mark your picks on the timeline and build a radio edit first.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
Here is a timestamped transcript from a [type of video] for [client type, e.g. a [UK] charity].
The film's goal: [e.g. 90-second fundraising film for social]. Audience: [who].
1. List the 10 strongest soundbites in order of usefulness. For each: start timestamp, the exact words (copy them, don't paraphrase), and one line on why it works.
2. Suggest a 3-part story order (hook, middle, ending) using only those soundbites.
3. Flag anything that might be sensitive or need client approval before use.
Only quote words that appear in the transcript.

Transcript:
[paste]

✓ Check before you send

  • Each quote really appears at that timestamp. Search the transcript to confirm.
  • The speaker sounds good saying it, not just reads well.
  • Anything flagged as sensitive goes to the client for sign-off.

UK notes extra

  • If the video is an ad or makes claims about a product, the advertising code applies, and claims need evidence. ASA: the CAP Code.
Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑
Job 3 of 5ChatGPTClaudeCopilot

Turn a vague client brief into a production plan and quote

"Can you make us a video?" is not a brief. A clear plan protects your time and makes revisions and extras easy to price.

Time: About 20 minutesCost: free tools work

A free AI chat tool (ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot)

Steps

  1. Paste everything the client has sent: emails, call notes, examples they liked.
  2. Add your day rates, kit, edit rates and how many revision rounds you include.
  3. Run the prompt below, then adjust the plan to how you really work.
  4. Send the client the questions first. Quote once you have answers.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
I'm a [UK] videographer. Turn this client brief into a production plan.
Brief and notes:
[paste]
My rates and rules:
[e.g. shoot day £000, half day £000, edit per finished minute £000, 2 revision rounds included, extra rounds £000/hour, travel over 30 miles £0.00/mile]
Output:
1. The 5 questions I must ask before quoting (deliverables, length, formats, deadline, who signs off).
2. A draft plan: pre-production, shoot days, edit, deliverables list (with aspect ratios, e.g. 16:9 master, 9:16 cut-downs).
3. A quote table using ONLY my rates. Write [PRICE NEEDED] if a rate is missing.
4. What's NOT included (e.g. music licensing, actors, locations fees, drone).

✓ Check before you send

  • Every price uses your rates. No [PRICE NEEDED] left.
  • Revision rounds and sign-off person are written down. These cause most scope creep.
  • Music licensing and location permissions are clear about who pays.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑
Job 4 of 5ChatGPTGeminiFrame.io

Turn messy client feedback into one clear change list

Feedback arrives as emails, voice notes and comments from three people who disagree. A single numbered list makes revisions faster and fairer.

Time: About 10 minutes per roundCost: free tools work

A free AI chat tool, plus your review tool (Frame.io, Vimeo review, or plain email)

Steps

  1. Gather all feedback for this round in one place. Export timecoded comments from Frame.io or Vimeo if you use them.
  2. Paste it with the prompt below.
  3. Check the list against the original notes. Make sure nothing got merged that shouldn't.
  4. Send the list back to the client to confirm before you start editing, and note which round this is.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
Below is client feedback on [video name], revision round [1/2/3], from several people.
Turn it into one numbered change list:
- Group by timecode where given; keep the original timecodes.
- Mark each item: [CHANGE] clear request, [QUESTION] unclear, [CONFLICT] two people disagree (quote both), [NEW] something outside the original brief.
- Keep the client's words in quotes next to each item.
- End with a short polite note asking them to confirm the list and resolve any conflicts.
Don't drop or soften any feedback.

Feedback:
[paste]

✓ Check before you send

  • Nothing is missing. Count the comments in and out.
  • Items marked [NEW] are handled as extras if they're outside your agreed scope.
  • The client confirms the list before you edit.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑
Job 5 of 5ChatGPTClaude

Prep a drone shot with a site-specific checklist

Drone shots sell films, but one rule mistake can be costly. AI helps you build the checklist; official sources give you the rules.

Time: About 15 minutes before each jobCost: free tools work

A free AI chat tool for the checklist, plus the CAA website and an approved drone app for airspace

Steps

  1. Check the current CAA rules for your drone's class and weight, and make sure your Flyer ID and Operator ID are in date.
  2. Check the airspace for the site in an airspace app recommended on the CAA site.
  3. Paste the prompt below with the location type, drone and what you want to film.
  4. Cross-check every rule-related line against the CAA website, not the AI.
  5. Share the people-and-access part of the checklist with the venue or client.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
Build a pre-flight checklist for a drone shot on a [UK] [wedding / property / event] shoot.
Drone: [model, weight, class mark if any]. Location type: [e.g. country house venue near a village].
Shots wanted: [e.g. reveal of the venue, guests on the lawn].
Make sections: permissions (landowner/venue), people and crowds, weather, battery and kit, privacy, and a "go / no go" list.
For any legal requirement, write it as a question for me to check on the CAA website, not as a fact.

✓ Check before you send

  • Every legal point is checked on the CAA site, not taken from the AI.
  • The venue or landowner has said yes in writing.
  • You've planned to avoid flying over uninvolved people and private gardens.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑

Questions videographers ask

Is it safe to upload client footage for transcription?

Check the tool's privacy terms and your contract first. Interviews often contain personal details. Where possible, export audio only and remove anything sensitive before uploading.

Which captioning tool is free?

At the time of writing, Descript's free plan includes one hour of media a month and CapCut offers auto captions, though CapCut's own pages disagree on whether that needs Pro. The free DaVinci Resolve can import captions but can't create them from audio; that needs Resolve Studio.

Can AI edit my film for me?

It can speed up logging, transcripts and finding soundbites, but story, pacing and taste are still your job. Treat AI suggestions as a shortlist and watch every clip.

Privacy tip: don't paste customers' full names, addresses or other personal details into AI tools unless you need to and you've checked the tool's privacy settings.