How To Write a Simple Script for Video
Posted: Thursday, January 28, 2010
by Harry Connor Jr
TaxDeedTreasures.com
Script writing for video is very similar to script writing for television commercials. When you learn how to do the one, the other comes relatively easy. If you are a newbie, I hope you can use these simple ideas to help you start your own video productions.
Most people would think that script writing for TV commercials is some sort of highly skilled art form that only a select few can master. That may be true for the big budget "national commercials", but, not so for most local style commercials. Once you learn the basics, it is really not that difficult.
When I first started to break in to producing I could find no one willing to teach me how to write a script. So I began to experiment with formats until I found one that worked well. It was simple, yet effective.
Here's what I would do for TV commercial production, and now apply to video production.
1. Decide on the length of the video.
The length of the video time will determine how many words will be in your script, including "top and tail" titling, and call to action frames. A script can include more than a voiceover read, but in this instance "script" means, for the most part, "voiceover". An acceptable pace for video is approximately 3 words per second. Remember this.
2. Three words per second.
If you recall listening to a radio commercial, the read speed is often much higher -- especially the disclaimer at the end! This is not acceptable for video. Three words per second equates to around 90 words for a 30 second long video. This is why you decide on the length of the video first.
3. Spitball script.
A spitball script is a rough -- rough draft. Think about all the key words and phrases that pertain to your topic. Now throw them down on a blank piece of paper. Let them flow as cognitive links from your mind to the page. Don't worry about structure at this stage. Just do it. You will be surprised at what you create.
4. Rough draft.
Scan your spitball script and start to form an intro to your video -- as a voiceover read. As you use a keyword or phrase, scratch it out from off of your spitball page. Keep repeating this until you have made a completed rough draft and you've used every keyword or phrase that's on your spitball page. Count the words and adjust your spitball script accordingly for your time limit.
5. Final script.
This is when the script starts to come together. Take another blank piece of paper and number lines on the left side of the page from the top to the bottom, from 1 to 30 -- for a 30 second video. Write three words per line. Now read your script naturally and time the read. If it fits, and you're happy with the way it sounds, and if it conveys your message, and you can now move on to visuals.
6. Visuals.
On the right hand side of your page allow room for notes or drawings of the visual aspects of your video. Read your script slowly while visualizing what footage or pictures you want to show, that are in harmony with the voiceover. You can also include in this timeline any call to action notices. If you want to include transitions and special effects, remember to allow time for them to occur in your script.
7. Tweak it.
As you build your final script, continue to tweak it, defining it as much as possible before you go into the production of your video. The more you tweak it in this preproduction stage, the easier the actual production will flow. It is far easier to produce it in your mind with the aid of your script, than to realize a mistake or error in the middle of real production and have to go back and correct it.
You can also develop a template for a 30 second video script, that can be used for longer videos, by simply adding extra pages of the template to the script.
There you have it. Try it. You'll find that it works!
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