Before Lights! Camera! Action!: the Script Getting Ready For Video News & Views Feature Article

by Terri Schultz, Senior Instructor Okidata (Mt. Laurel, New Jersey) Originally published in News & Views November, 1996 issue. Copyright 1996 STC-Philadelphia Metro Chapter. For permission to reprint this article, contact the Managing Editor.

If you haven't already, you will probably be asked to write a script. Maybe not for a Hollywood blockbuster, but a videotape on your company’s latest product, your manager's next slide show presentation, or the multimedia extravaganza at the big trade show. Webster’s defines "script" as "the written text of a stage play, screenplay, or broadcast; specifically, the one used in production or performance; . . . a plan of action." Scripts are more than the spoken words. A script includes shots, titles, music, transitions, run times--anything that happens during the program. No matter what the final presentation will be, creating a script should include these steps. 1. Conduct an interview. Get a description of the desired program, with as much detail as possible, from the person or group requesting the script. Example: "I want a five minute videotape for our sales team that explains how to install the consumables in our newest printer." 2. Find out the schedule. Know when the final presentation is due. The due date of the final program is not the due date for a script. Why? A script for a video must be completed before the tape can be shot, edited, approved, reproduced, and distributed. 3. Establish reviews and approvals. Clearly spell out who will do what, and when. Reviewing for accuracy is not the same thing as approving the script. Build review and approval processes into each stage of the script writing. Don’t wait for the "final" script! When scripting for videotapes, a final script is exactly that: final, with no changes. If you are working with a video production company, changes to a "final" script will increase costs considerably. 4. Know what the script must accomplish. Should it motivate, inform, teach, sell, or something else? This is very important. A "how to" program is very different from a motivational tape. 5. Know how the script will be used. Is it a classroom setting, small staff meeting, or a nationally distributed program? Will additional materials such as handouts be used with the presentation? Fit the script with the situation. 6. Know the audience. Find out as much as you can. Do they speak English? What is their education level? How familiar are they with the information being presented? 7. Know what the audience should do. After the program is complete, should the audience be able to do something? Should they feel a certain way? Should they know new information? Should they think differently? 8. Establish the essential content (objectives). The objectives should support the expected response from the audience. They should also be the "hot buttons" for the requester and script approval people. Don’t have too many objectives. The best (business) videos are short (ten minutes or less). As a general rule, a ten minute video should have no more than five main points. 9. Establish the nice-to-know content. Nice-to-know content supports the main goal, but does not have to be included if time or budgets get tight. It is also the kind of information that could be included if there is "extra" time. This is really good to have for scripted (but shot live) programs, especially "call-in" shows. Frequently, there are pauses before and between calls. Short, "ready to go" information will help the presenters fill those gaps. 10. Know the budget. Videotapes are frequently estimated at $1,000 for a finished production minute. A five-minute video would be estimated at $5,000, not including reproduction and distribution costs. Video production houses provide quotes for the reproduction and distribution of a videotape based on finished run times and quantities. Quotes for video shoots and editing are trickier. Professional talent (real, live actors) costs more than using your company’s personnel. However, actors need less shooting time and may create a better impression. Also, if your company people leave, your tape will need to be changed. Shooting on location (instead of in a studio), creating special effects, and licensing music all increase production costs. 11. Make lists. You will have several lists: subject matter experts, props needed for the shoot, shooting locations, music, graphics needed (company logos, whether a camera-ready hardcopy or a digital file that the video editor can use). 12. Know your platform. It is important to know the platforms being used. Along with the familiar computer and software platforms, there are different types of video media (VHS, SVHS, Beta, 3/4 umatic). Digital video editing may be able to use your computer files of source materials. Special note: Many European countries do not use the same video format as the United States! Video production houses can handle the necessary conversions. 13. Develop an outline. The sequence will be the way the video will run. Use this tried-and-true formula: 1) show/tell what will be covered, 2) show/tell the covered material, and 3) show/tell (remind) what was covered. Focus on showing, not telling. Use "as shown" (with good visuals) instead of long, wordy descriptions. When you are scripting, remember that the audience will both see and hear what you create. This is very different than reading a document. Imagine what you want the audience to see -- every step of the way. Imagine what you want the audience to hear -- every step of the way. 14. Create a storyboard. A storyboard resembles a comic strip. Visual elements (shots) are presented in separate, sequential blocks, with the text or title references below. You can use "stick-figure" drawings, actual photographs, or very detailed renderings for the visuals, but don’t worry about the quality. Storyboards convey what the program will be, before any cameras are turned on. 15. Write the script. If you don’t have a scripting software package, don’t worry. You can use any word processing package that supports columns. Just make sure to keep the appropriate audio and visual elements aligned with each other. Dedicated script programs work well. However, unless you do a lot of scripts, you will probably do better with a word processing package you know, rather than learning a package you will only occasionally use. Also, the dedicated script program can limit your ability to share files with other people. You will want at least two columns: one for the audio portion (on the right) and one for visual (on the left). A third column can be used for the run time. The start point of the video is 0, and you list the run time to a certain point. Run times are good indexes for the completed tape. This column can be on either the extreme left or right. Be sure to have clearly visible page numbers. I usually have a header or footer with the script/program name, the page number, and the revision number or date. This makes it easier to track rewrites. Here are some terms you'll need to know while writing the script. Shots are the visual elements (what the audience sees--for example, a printer in an office environment). Different shot types can be specified (or you can leave it up to the video director). An extreme close-up focuses on details. A close-up is usually a face or a specific item. A medium shot would be a person from the waist up. A long or wide shot covers a group of people or a big area. A shot list is used during the video shoot and editing. It is a sequential list of the shots used. It can also be an "index" of an existing videotape. Shot lists are a good way to keep track of shots needed (before the shoot starts) and the shots taken (during the shoot). Titles are the text that appears on the screen, usually over a shot or background. Keep titles as simple as possible, with the text as large as possible. Small text is next to impossible to read (think of the credits rolling by at the end of a movie). Try to document the titles as completely as possible. Specify the font used, the color used, type size, alignment (both vertical and horizontal). This information is invaluable if you need to change an existing tape. Transitions are how you get from one shot to the next. The most common transitions are the cut edit and the fade (sometimes called a mix). A cut edit is a straight-forward change from one shot to the next. During a fade, one shot blends into the next. Transitions are very much a function of the video editing capabilities available to you. Transitions have different lengths (speeds): fast, medium, and slow, with different combinations of the three (slow-medium). If you can specify different transitions, keep them simple. Ransom note publishing has its counterpart in ransom note edits! 16. Start rewriting. There will be re-writes. The question is how many. Solid scheduling, fast accuracy checks, and clear approval cycles will help control the number of re-writes. If you don't have these, you will learn why your next script will! Keep good records (both hardcopy and digital). The one re-write that you don’t keep a copy of is the one you are going to need the most. 17. Deliver the final script. Enough said!

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Last updated: November 29, 1996 (rst)