The Scoop on Video Scriptwriting Fees and Contracts

Join the conversation at Linkedin 's Video Scriptwriter's group. We're having a a lively, informative discussion on structuring fees and client contracts as it relates to video scriptwriting and producing. This an open group and available for viewing by anyone.

Why Use a Video Script Instead of an Outline?

I posted my August 18 blog entry on How to Get Comfortable with Writing a Video Script in a couple of video groups on Linkedin. A member of one of the groups asked "Why use a video script when you could just use an outline?"

Yes, you can certainly shoot a video with only an outline. You can also shoot a video without a video script or an outline. Go to YouTube. You'll find loads of videos with people talking straight to a video camera. And that approach can work.

But does that approach work in all situations? No.

Here's an example. Imagine you're a marketing manager of a large company, and you get saddled with the job of creating an investor relations video.  Your company would probably want to create a video with higher production values to make an impact on potential investors. Instead of trying the "do-it-all-yourself" approach, you decide to outsource the video production.

An investor video may require an in-depth look into the various parts of your company. It could include video coverage of work sites, branch offices, and departments. It may need interviews with key management personnel as well as narration during some parts of the video.  This requires a lot of planning and coordination.

An outline in this situation is simply not as useful as a video script. The script is the blueprint used by both client and video production personnel.

You may need to circulate the script to your superiors and colleagues for feedback and approval. Seeing the complete text in script form lets you flag any factual errors or legal issues before production begins. And, of course, the narrator needs to see the actual text.

Since this type of video would not be shot in sequence, the video director needs the writer's script to create a shooting script, which breaks down the scenes by locations and allows the director to see what needs to be shot at each locale and to block the scene appropriately.

The video editor also needs to see a script so he knows how to sequence the shots and insert music, graphics, and narration at appropriate points.

A video script also shows to all stakeholders the full power of the audio-visual medium. An outline simply does not make the same impact.

How to Get Comfortable with Writing a Video Script

As online video has surged in popularity, many web and print copywriters are looking to make the move into video scriptwriting. Marketing managers and entrepreneurs are also seeking to sharpen their scriptwriting skills for business videos.

Writing for the audio-visual medium can be daunting at first. You need to master writing for the eye and for the ear. You also need to know the technical jargon used in video production.

I recommend you buy Video Scriptwriting by Barry Hampe. Although he wrote it nearly 20 years ago, his book is still the best ever written on the topic. I believe Video Scriptwriting is now out of print; however, you can still buy used copies from resellers on Amazon.com.

Video Scriptwriting delivers an excellent overview on the nuts and bolts of writing a script, explaining video production techniques, and getting script assignments.

To get a feel of writing for this medium, find script samples by other writers and then write the script out longhand or type it on a computer. Experts suggest that writing longhand makes a bigger impact on your brain than typing. But I’ve found both methods equally helpful.

You can find some dual-column scripts on my portfolio page. Hampe has an entire script for a corporate video in the appendix of his book.

Not familiar with video script formatting? There are two different styles …

The dual column A/V format…

And the single-column screenplay format…

Hampe recommends you try both formats to see how it affects your writing. You can download a free copy of the scriptwriting software Celtx, which contains both A/V and screenplay templates.


Is one format better than the other? I think it’s a matter of personal preference. I’ve written my scripts in the dual-column style, but it can be a pain getting the formatting right. Unless your client insists the script be delivered in a specific format, you should choose the format that you find the easiest to use.

Hampe says video scripts written in the dual column format often influences the client to read the narration in the right column but completely ignore the video portion in the left, which weakens the impression of the script. In my experience, I haven’t found this to be the case. But it’s a point you may want to consider before settling on a format.

Video Scriptwriting: Show or Tell?

Is it always better to show than tell in a video script? Ideally, yes. Although video is a combination of sight and sound, your viewer's dominant sense is usually vision. And you want to emphasize it to make the strongest impact.

Unfortunately, reality often erases ideals. Time, budget and resources play an important role in video production. And what you wrote in your video script may not always be achievable for the final product.

Here are three possible situations when telling might steal the spotlight from showing.

1. Abstract information - You need to cover information that is difficult to show visually.

2. Visual content is unavailable – For a variety of reasons, you might not have video content to support the narration.

3. Lack of time – You have more visual content than time available in the video. Instead, you could combine script sections you were planning to show visually and explain it with narration.

For example, I wrote a script on a lawn mower attachment, but we didn't have the budget to create graphics for the technical specifications section, so the information was included in the narration for the raised motor block in video scene 13 ...

Here's some tips on creating effective narration:

1) Make it easy for your narrator. Write out numbers in your video script, so
1, 250 would become: one thousand two hundred and fifty. Choose Anglo over French/Latin based English words. Vary sentence length so narration doesn't sound choppy or monotonous. (Reading aloud your script before submitting a draft is always a good idea.)

2) Avoid explaining the obvious - You don't need to narrate verbatim what's happening on the screen. Use narration to expand on important information that is related to the visual content. You want the audio content of the script to complement the video rather than duplicating it aurally.

3) Hire a professional announcer - Nothing kills rapport with your viewers faster than narration read by a non-professional broadcaster. Amateurs almost always sound monotonous and their pacing is terrible. It's more time consuming using non-pros, and this could impact your bottom line.

Using Dissolve in Your Video Script

A dissolve is a transition technique used in film and video. But unlike a cut, which is an instantaneous jump from one shot to another, a dissolve is slower -- the shot dissolves away as a new shot dissolves in.

But when would you use dissolve instead of cut?

Here’s an example. You’re hired to write a promotional video for a beachfront resort. The owner wants to show that his resort offers both fun activities and relaxation.

In your video script, you want to include a section to emphasize the relaxation aspects of the resort.

You might start with a shot of a guest reading a book while she’s comfortably stretched out on a chair. DISSOLVE TO: a man on an inflatable water mattress drifting lazily in the resort’s swimming pool. DISSOLVE TO: a young couple lying on beach towels as they soak up the sun.

A dissolve can impact both the tempo and mood of a video, almost on a subliminal level. By using this transition technique instead of a cut, the dissolve supports the relaxation-focused visuals.

Tips on Video Product Scriptwriting

Online Video: Testing Still Trumps Best Practices

One of the dangers of writing video scripts is getting too comfortable with a certain format. Specifically, using the same approach regardless of what industry you're writing for.

To create an effective video script (or any marketing, for that matter), you need to research your client's business sector. Differences in tone, response and format can be considerable from one niche to another.

Below is an excerpt from John Forde's copywriting newsletter. He discusses how he and his client (an information publishing company) use video for marketing and the results they're getting. It's quite surprising in many ways...


"For one, we've found so far that low production values
-- at least in our info-publishing market -- out pull
fancy fireworks.

Our best performing stuff is just text on screen, with
a voice reading it aloud in the background. And
otherwise, it's barely changed from the copy we used in
the print or online sales letter versions.

Short? Not even close.

The most astounding successes in our area, of the last
six months, have been videos that run for -- brace
yourself -- as long as 45 minutes to an hour.

I'm not making that up.

And when we try to edit it them down, do they pull even
better? Not at all. Response drops by 20% or more."

(from COPYWRITER'S ROUNDTABLE Issue #496, January 4, 2011)


Some of Forde's results seem counterintuitive to most online video marketing. So while every marketing channel has its own set of best practices, these should not be a substitute for testing different approaches.

Videos used in corporate content marketing strategies

The Content Marketing Institute provides some excellent examples on how to use video in your content marketing strategy.