Script Writing… Video Script Writing

Video as a means of advertising your business is almost mandatory these days. I can honestly say that there is not a single business that would not benefit from having a video to promote their products or services. Video is just so engaging. It can tell a story, demonstrate how to use something or explain how something works. It can do this better than any kind of text-only offering.

There are some videos that consist just of imagery but to communicate effectively with the audience a video must have a verbal delivery. That means a script will be required. Now there are basically 2 types of video script. There’s the voiceover script and there’s the storyboard script. Some people can get very confused about these 2 very different scripts, so let me explain the differences.

The voiceover script will be a kind of sales letter, written in a way, almost like a sketch, that can be narrated to the audience. This delivery should include pauses and tone changes in order to keep the viewer interested. Most voiceovers will be for the duration of the video, which is usually 1 to 3 minutes in length, so timing is very important.

Once the voiceover script has been written it will then need to be recorded. This is best done by a professional recording artist who will have their own studio and will use a high-quality professional microphone to ensure crystal clear delivery. Now because the scriptwriter will probably never meet the recording artist, it’s imperative to ensure that the script is fully understood. By that I mean it’s essential that the recording artist knows when to pause and when to change pitch etc. This information should be included in the script for guidance.

So, a voiceover script is for the audio recording part of the video only. The storyboard script is the storyline and consists of how everything comes together. This is the director’s script. For example, it might read, 1-3 seconds, show title and cue background music. 4-10 seconds show the first line of text and cue voiceover. 11-15 seconds show images of product and second line of text.

So a storyboard script is all about the timing of certain video elements and bringing the whole production together. It takes longer to write a storyboard script than it does to write a voiceover script for obvious reasons.

I write voiceover scripts for my BusyVids business and for my clients who might plan on having a video produced elsewhere. Voiceover script writing is a specialised job I would say, and it’s thanks to my work with BusyVids that I have become very proficient at it. I can write storyboard scripts and even screenplays, but if this is something you might be looking for then be prepared for several revisions. It’s quite rare to get a storyboard right first time as the client will invariably want to have his or her own view about what should be seen and when. Subsequently, you cannot expect a fast turnaround on this type of script.

As a copywriter, my job always demands that I produce the very best script possible, whatever type of script is required. If this is something you might need then contact me today and let’s explore the possibilities.