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.