How do you write a corporate video script?
If you Google 'film scripts',
you'll be inundated
with hundreds of complex
and dull looking documents
written in the same font,
all looking exactly the same
and quite complicated to understand.
A corporate video script is presented
in a completely different way.
While a screenplay has many rules,
covering things like formatting,
terminology and presentation,
a corporate video script
is much easier to get your head around.
Our BBC trained script writer
has written scripts for
everything from light hearted drama films
to health and safety videos
and explainer animations,
so we have a pretty good idea
of what makes a good script.
A corporate video script
uses a table layout.
There are usually three columns,
separated into rows at moments
where the visuals or narrative changes.
By structuring a script in this way,
it's simple for anyone
involved in the project
to see what's happening at
any given point in a film
without needing to understand
complex film terminology.
But where do you start
when writing a script?
There are three columns that make up
a typical corporate video script.
Column One: Narrative.
The narrative column
contains all of the dialogue
that will tell the story of your video,
such as voiceover, on-screen presenters,
interview comments or even
a combination of the three.
Let's say this is a voiceover
or presenter script,
a minute of narrative equates
to around 150 to 175 words,
so be sure to keep an eye on this
if you want your film to
be within a certain length.
If your video is mostly interview-based,
the narrative column in the script
will need to be written a bit differently.
Of course we don't want to
script interview answers
word for word and spoon feed
them to the interviewees.
That's not only looks
a bit shifty on camera,
but takes away the naturalistic
and spontaneous delivery that
you want from an interview.
What you'll want to do instead
is add in bullet points
of key messages that the interviewer
will need to bring out
for the interviewees.
A list of questions will be
developed further down the line,
but at this stage, it's important
to see how the interviews
fit in with the overall story.
You can include some
template or ideal answers
to help indicate how the
narrative of the film
will flow, but remember
that you can't put words
in your interviewee's mouths.
Column Two: Visuals.
The second column in a
corporate video script
explains what visuals
will be shown on screen
during each scene.
Traditionally, this will be footage
that's captured during a filming day,
but it can also include
details on stock footage,
photography or animated scenes
for projects such as explainer videos.
A script writer will pay close attention
to what's happening in
the narrative column
when describing visuals
for a corporate video.
The visuals of course want
to support the narrative
so they need to be relevant, exciting
and can sustain the
length of the narrative.
So, if you have around
a minute of voiceover,
you'll need more than just a shot
of someone walking into
a building to cover it.
If the video is completely animated,
there may also be storyboard
images alongside the script
to show illustrated
examples of each scene.
Don't forget though,
that the script is meant to tell a story,
so using expressive and
creative language here
will help stir up stimulating
and inspiring images
in the minds of the audience.
Column Three: Graphics and On-Screen Text.
The third most important
column in a script
describes any on-screen text or graphics
that's to be seen during the video.
These could be, names and job
titles of the interviewees,
animated titles, technical
terms used in call out graphics
or call to action text
for the end of the film.
Including on-screen text in the script
is particularly important
if it is likely to include
a lot of phrases or terms
that need to be checked
for accuracy before filming.
Plus making sure all
spellings are double checked
before editing takes
place is always useful.
Just like the Visuals column in a script,
any on-screen text should be
there to support the narrative
and not be fragmented in any way.
Adding in on-screen text
that isn't referred to
in the narrative would
just confuse the audience.
This might happen if you
want to shorten down the film
and you think that by
moving some voiceover
into the on-screen-text column,
you'll save a few seconds of screen time.
But this doesn't work and
it only confuses your film.
Similarly, you don't want
to bombard the audience
with extensive bullet points
or paragraphs of text.
Keep it concise and
essential to the story.
Narrative, Visuals and Text
are the most vital sections
to include in a script, but
you may need additional columns
for things like:
Numbering each scene.
Location information for filming.
Estimated duration of scenes.
Translations.
Technical information and so on.
But the script is the backbone
to every corporate video.
Even if a film is mostly interview-based,
a script is the only
way to show how the film
will be structured and explain the story
before filming begins.
It's vital that a script is
shared with all stakeholders
in the project during
the writing stage too,
so any feedback is considered
and worked into additional draughts
before the script is signed
off and production begins.
Making script changes after filming
or even after editing has started
can be both time consuming and expensive,
especially if it involves reshooting
or scrapping scenes entirely.
So spending as much time as possible
to make sure this stage of
the production is perfect
before filming, is well worth it.
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out of your corporate video project
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