After watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men’s Chest, for instance, most of us didn’t attack Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, the film’s scriptwriters; we were too busy fuming about how we had been misled into watching a model of inscrutable wheel-spinning. But we knew – all of us – that something was very wrong with what we had just watched.
So when we learned that Lindelof had done major revisions to the original script written by Jon Spaihts…many assumed that the original script had been brilliant before Lindelof came along and Lost’d it all up. Because that’s a far more palatable reality.
Turns out, we were right.
When people watch your web video, you don’t want to get savaged like this. It’s fine to want to produce a masterpiece, but it’s just as good to not want to get Lindelholf’d. That’s why you need to write a script that communicates your message to viewers. A polished script is foundational to the success of any online video; neglecting it is to court disaster and could leave you with a script loaded with lines like those in the storied film below.
Here are a few tips you should follow when screenwriting for online video marketing:
Honestly, script writers probably shouldn’t be too fussed about video length. The average length of an online video is now more than six minutes, which is almost a whole minute longer than it was just half a year ago. By March of 2013, online videos are projected to clock in at nearly seven and a half minutes in length.
This doesn’t mean that you can adopt Judd Apatow’s attitude about his recent release, This is Forty: “Movies are expensive, parking is expensive – why is everyone in a rush to go home? An extra 15 minutes won’t kill you. Everyone thinks everything is like a two-minute YouTube video. And I refuse to adjust for them.”
When writing, aim to produce a final script that is as concise as is practicable. You can do this by following the venerable 150 words per minute maxim; this is the number of words a person can be reasonably expected to say in a single minute without descending in babble. If you think the topic of your video is best-suited to a shorter video but end up with a 1,000-word opus, it’s time to start trimming.
Admittedly, a competent script is not always a requisite for success with viewers.
In addition to following the 150 words per minute rule, you should favor short sentences over elaborate constructions, and avoid larding your language with industry speak. You may know what “Inventory Valuation to Total Revenue is increasing” means (in which case, we feel sorry for you), but your viewers may not. As Jennifer Chatman, a management professor at the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business says, “jargon masks real meaning. People use it as a substitute for thinking hard and clearly about their goals.”
This screenwriting technique is most suited for those not confident in the underlying appeal of their product.
2. Aspiring Tony Kushners should be attentive to the length of the script they write. But it’s probably more important that they continually answer the “So what?” question in their script. Too often, those releasing an online video think its purpose is self-evident; they think their video exists to promote their brand and their business. That’s the ultimate aim of any video, of course, but – for the viewer – a video serves other functions: it answers questions and/or supplies a way to address a need. As you are writing a script, you must focus less on promoting your product and more on preempting your viewers’ questions and responding to them in a concise and accurate way. Doing so will enable you to help your potential customers and gain their trust.
And, in the end, constantly asking yourself to address the “So what?” question will prompt you to craft a tighter, more focused script. This will make your message more comprehensible, an aim that our last tip also addresses.
3. When writing a script, lend it structure by breaking the whole into smaller, more manageable chunks. This need not be a laborious process; simply having a recognizable beginning, middle and end in your video can be enough to lend it coherence. Adding chapters and other subdivisions to your script – and providing each with appropriate labels – is another way you can produce a more understandable final web video.
Frances Marion, one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century, once said that “Screenwriting is like writing in sand with the wind blowing.” While writing a script for an online video may not have the same challenges as, say, writing The Champ, it’s a craft and demands dedication. It is hard work, and for most of us, its unfamiliar work. It is also necessary work. If you want viewers to watch your video and engage with your brand, you need to sit down in front of your laptop, open that pristine and pitiless Microsoft Word document, and start writing.
And do try to avoid resorting to Raymond Chandler’s suggestion, “When in doubt have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.”