Script Development
Years of writing and presenting scripts for ourselves and for our clients has taught us that a strong story and script will make or break a production - perhaps more so than the quality of the video and audio.
We encourage our clients to write their own scripts, which we then massage into something that's 'video friendly'. We make sure that every line in the script is moving the story forward, is relevant, and will keep your audience watching. We have a dedicated script writer for those occasions when you want the whole thing handled by us.
A few simple rules we encourage you to follow if you're writing your own script:
1. Stick to the point. If you're writing a script for a case study, for example, do you really need to give your company's history? The viewer wants to know how your customer has successfully used your product and at this point is probably not interested in what year your business was formed or who your CEO is. Save that for a company profile video, or point the viewer to the About Us page on your website.
2. Concise is good. Keep your video down to about three minutes if possible, especially with case studies, profiles, promos etc. Read your script out loud and add another 30 seconds for titles, pauses etc. One way to get a longer story across efectively is to split it into it's component parts and make several short videos: An introduction; the meat of the story; a brief profile of your company; how to find out more. Let the viewer decide which bit they want to watch first - chances are they'll go for the meaty bits first. If that interests them enough, they'll be more likely to go on to watch the other parts. Of course the 'about us' part can be used in multiple videos, which saves you production costs.
3. Write for speech, not for the page. Lose 'we have' in favour of 'we've' and 'it is' for 'it's'. When you're done writing, read it out loud. Does it sound like you're reading a script? If so, take each line and try and say it without looking at the script. Chances are you'll say the words in a much more video friendly way. Write those words down. Repeat.
