Script and Screen
The script can be the most subjective aspect of any video project. Whether it’s an on screen delivery, a narration or even something more off the cuff, if it includes all the necessary information it can be difficult to judge any script too harshly. However, there is one single tactic that I always fight for over & over again when developing a script for any project. And it comes in many different forms.
This project was completed in August of 2016.
It begins with this; copywriting is not scriptwriting.
Not every tactic & strategy that applies to a reader can be universally applied to a viewer. They are different mediums that require very different mindsets and should be treated as such. A script must absolutely be developed in tandem with the visuals that it will accompany. This may seem obvious but is often overlooked when copy is simply cut and pasted for use as a script. When this happens a few things immediately stand out.
Transitional phrases. In any phase of editing these are always the first on the chopping block. While a reader may need gently ushered from one topic to another, there are several other queues used in video to accomplish this transition. Besides a simple edit, music, sound effects and graphics can all accomplish the same thing and add much more interest than any clunky transitional phrase.
On-screen descriptors. Of course any product or service needs to highlight its features and benefits, right? How will the viewer know what those are if we don’t include it in the script? Right? No, not always. Any script will likely include adjectives galore, but these absolutely must be tempered with what can be highlighted & shown on screen. Trusted, durable, long-lasting? Fresh, delicious, irresistible? Fun, exciting, thrilling? Sure, of course. But can this all be emphasized within a well directed frame so that those precious moments can be used to highlight something more nuanced? I think so.
Point of view. Copy often limits a point of view to that of the writer and sticks with it throughout. Whether omniscient or a personal opinion this will remain consistent. This rigidity becomes more flexible and unnecessary when a script is developed in tandem with its visuals. The point of view can shift. The phrasing and rhetoric can be used as punctuation to what is seen on screen. Thoughts can be left incomplete. Perspectives can change. Pronouns can be avoided. Questions can even be asked of the viewer.
Used skillfully, all of these tactics can lead to a more engaging video.
And finally, onto this featured project. Where we will end, back where we began. The script can be the most subjective aspect of any project. This project was done for Lands’ End in collaboration with Mirror34 Productions.
I’ll let the reader/viewer simply press play and judge for themselves how all of the tactics listed above can help create a more interesting, engaging video.
