Video Scriptwriting

Dr. Stephen ByersMarquette University

Order is everything

• Field Research Before You Write.

• Write Before You Shoot.

• Paper Edit Before You Edit.

Why a script is important

• Lets you plan out your video.• Lets you know what questions to

write.• Lets you plan things like whether you

want your questions to play or whether to use voiceovers.

• Lets you focus so you don’t waste time.– This is especially true about video.

From the start . . .

– From the very start, your research, planning, organization, and writing must be pointed toward answering the question, What will the audience see?

• As writer of the script, you have to show the rest of your team and your mentor — and through them the audience — the images that make up the story you want to tell.

• You do this with a well-visualized, coherent script that clearly communicates your intentions to the people who will read it.

From the start . . .The more specifically you can describe your script in terms of concrete images, the better your chance of communicating through video.

Similarly, the more abstract or interpretive your idea is, the more important it becomes to build up evidence for the idea through concrete images.

From the start . . .

• To be recorded on video, an image has to be solid, tangible. – Images are described

with concrete nouns and action verbs.

– A concrete image can be understood in a single shot.

Field research is vital

You can't describe what you haven't seen. • And you can't use as visual evidence what

you don't even know exists.

As a scriptwriter, you not only have to think in pictures, you have to learn to see like a camera. • When you are scouting a scene, a setting, or

a location, learn to see what is actually there.• Otherwise your brain may instruct your eye

to filter out whatever the brain considers unimportant.

Don’t forget the story

• Remember that story arc:– A beginning– A middle– An end

Some tips from experts

Nail your narrative down as much as possible–Don’t be clear and linear -- and

boring, or be experimental -- and pretentious.–Use your time to explore something

in detail; rather than skim over something big of which you'll barely scratch the surface.

Some tips from expertsMake sure you’re showing something new or unusual.–If you’re featuring a student

musician, why is that one more important than others?–If you’re doing a video about a

library archive, why is that important?–If you’re doing a story about a

recording studio, how do you bring it to life?

Some tips from experts

• Pre-Interview!–Make notes and prepare questions.• Write a script, even if you don't know

all the subjects answers yet, imagine what they might be, research with pre-interviews would help you here.• The script should contain visual as

well as verbal information.

Some tips from experts

Once you've done your interviews, do a transcript and then a paper edit.• Don’t waste time while you wallow in

footage as you seek a story.• It gives you a script to work on when

you go into the edit room.• It seems like a drag but it will save

you loads of time.

Tips from the experts

Write out the script, including what you expect the interviewees to say.

Then, when you are conducting interviews, ask questions that will result in the sorts of answers you are looking for.

A 3-Panel Script

Order is everything• Field Research Before You Write.

• Write Before You Shoot.

• Paper Edit Before You Edit.