Writing a script for videos is a requirement to create quality visual products that adequately express your ideas. With the video script, you select elements that capture the attention of your audience. You connect it with emotions and attract them to your content, products, or brand. When writing one, there are four important moments (Morel, 2021):
- Identify a problem.
- Pose a solution.
- Submit a benefit.
- Invite to action (CTA or Call to Action).
Ideas for engaging these four moments can be developed through the following set of steps.
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6 Steps to make a script for videos
Like many creative tasks, writing a video script is an activity that gets better with practice. Here are the essential steps to developing a video script :
1. Define the general context of the video
It is convenient to start by defining what the objective pursued with the video is. In some cases, it is to launch a product. In others, it is to show advertising or attract traffic to your vlog (Morel, 2021).
As part of this general context of a video script, also identify the main theme and what your target audience is. These two elements (topic and audience) influence decisions, such as the type of video to use Picuki.
2. Select the style or type of video
The type of video is associated with the objective and the audience, which determines the characteristics of the characters, the dialogues, and the staging. There are sales-oriented videos that take advantage of vlogger credibility and storytelling. Others teach through tutorials (Morel, 2021).
In some cases, testimonials and success stories are used to highlight the benefits of a product or brand. Additionally, many vloggers keep their followers’ attention by creating short videos that they post on their microblogging.
3. Write a synopsis
The synopsis is a general summary or brief that you create for each video script. It is a complete vision of what you want to express in the video. In a later analysis of this synopsis, you will be able to select the most important elements that you will add to the video (Tiscar, 2013).
4. Identify the scenes and their description
These scenes must be organized in such a way that there is a meaningful sequence or a common thread (Alba, SF):
- Presentation or introduction with the statement of the problem and even of the action.
- Content development, highlighting the value of the proposed solution and its benefits.
- Close with the call to action, the thanks to the public, and the farewell.
5. Write the texts of each scene of the script for videos
Remember that the scenes as a whole must express: the problem, the solution, the benefit, and the action. The dialogues and situations of the scenes must take advantage of emotional aspects and interaction with your audience.
Engage the audience with your questions and appeal to emotions that generate identification with your brand at key points. Speak with closeness and in a conversational tone. Adjust the language to your audience and the platform on which the video will be published (Sordo, 2021).
6. Review your video script and add any missing details
As it is a guide for everyone involved in the creation of the video, it is important that you are specific but at the same time detailed. In the video script, you also include details such as (Universidad Veracruzana, 2012):
- Characteristics of the characters and their reactions.
- Space where the action takes place.
- Elements of the scenes, times and places in which they take place.
- Colors, photographs and images.
- Sounds, music, voices, dialogue highlights.
Examples of script types for videos
There are many types of scripts and the idea is to choose the one that best suits your objective, the characteristics of the content to be disclosed, the audience or the medium. Here are some sample scripts you’ll find useful when making marketing videos or as part of the process of editing videos for YouTube:
- Video SEO & recipes.
- Whiteboard.
- Motion graphics.
- Commercial video.
- Interviews or testimonials.
- Web series.
Two other types of video scripts are:
1. Technical script
In essence, it is a list of the shots that are going to be recorded to show the history of the video and the description of each scene (Aprender Cine, 2018). Details of the angles of the shots and which part of the scenes are recorded are also indicated. The technical script can be preceded by a literary script detailing the actions, characters, and settings.
A simplified way to organize the elements of the technical script is to use a template with a table with two columns: one for the description of the video and the other for the audio.
2. Storyboard, illustrated script or storyboard
A sequence of illustrations serves as a guide to show the sequence of a story. They are also useful for previewing video elements such as whiteboard or motion graphics, as well as for creating animated videos.
The storyboard is a type of script for videos created from a sequence of vignettes with graphics in the style of comics (Moreno, 2020). Whether a video is made for Instagram TV, for YouTube, for a vlog, or to spread on social networks, the video script is an essential element.
This allows you to organize the elements of the story, the resources, the actions of the actors, and the recording environment. In addition, it allows you to attract an audience through a story with benefits and a call to action.