What do you call the person who writes the script for video production? Some say scriptwriter, but folks in the biz call that person a screenwriter. Is there a difference? Well, yeah. A scriptwriter is a copywriter who’s been asked to write a script for a video, while a screenwriter is a filmmaker specializing in writing scripts.

There are lots of positions on a film shoot. There’s the producer, director, director of photography, key grip, gaffer, grip, dolly grip, continuity, sound mixer, associate producer, line producer, production assistants, make-up, VFX artist, post-production supervisor, editor, post-production sound mixer, et cetera. And there’s the screenwriter. A screenwriter is an above-the-line crew position. ATL means the positions responsible for the creativity of the production before photography and post-production. It refers to their place on a film budget.

So, yes. A screenwriter is different from a scriptwriter. And I should know. I’ve written TV programs, feature-length films, TV commercials, demonstration videos, explainer videos, animated shows, films, and shorts. For 30 years, I’ve been a producer, director, and screenwriter, and for the 10 years before, I worked every position from PA to grip to cutting down and syncing takes of 16mm film, which is still the most boring job I’ve ever had.

Pay attention if you’re a copywriter who wants to write your next business video like a screenwriter.

No Entrances and Exits

A script opens with “fade up:” and ends with “fade out.” Classically this is where we have the only entrance and the only exit, respectively, but times and styles have changed. While, for the most part, scenes begin and end “en media res,” you can have entrances and exits as long as some of the characters or action is already on the screen when the scene begins and ends.

You can have your presenter step into the frame, or you can open a scene with a sunrise, but don’t have your presenter enter through a doorway and use the sunrise shot as a transition to a new subject.

While we are speaking of transitions, a WIPE is used to indicate “meanwhile at another location in the same timeline,” and a DISSOLVE is used to indicate a “passage of time.” Unless noted, the editor will assume there is a CUT. In fact, cut is so ubiquitous that it is unnecessary to note it in the script. You should, however, note a wipe or a dissolve.

Write Visually

Writing visually means using clear, precise language when describing a scene. Do not wax poetic about the color of the hills or the red, flowering dawn of a new day. If the scene needs a red 1967 Mustang, write “RED 1967 FORD MUSTANG.” Don’t tell us it’s “the pouty red lips of a Nick Cage wet dream” or some other purple prose crap.

Scene descriptions or actions are brief and to the point. Put the most critical information first, even if it’s not in good form stylistically. Do not provide unnecessary details because that locks the director and the art director into specifics. Your presenter is on a horse, not a massive Appaloosa with a saddle adorned with silver medallions (unless those are important in the scene or a future scene). Keep your action simple and to the point, and make it relate to what the talent is saying.

Writing visually means connecting the words being spoken and what’s on the screen. If we’re doing a demonstration video for the new XL-2000 vacuum cleaner, and the voice-over says, “Your living room is filth central for your home. Dirt from shoes, crumbs from snacks and pet hair gets ground into your carpet…” Then you better script a scene where we see a kid wearing muddy boots dropping food on the carpet for the dog to eat up.

But remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, and video runs at 30 pictures a second. So, a scene like I described above, followed by a shot of dad running the XL-2000 over the living room carpet, makes the point equally well without needing the voice-over.

Monologues / Dialogues Should be No More than 2-3 Sentences Per Scene

The previous paragraph applies here too. Every second of a video equals 30,000 words, and no one wants to listen to anyone talk and talk and talk. It makes for a boring video. And we’re talking business films here, not entertainment or documentaries. Although unless you got the “Alien Guy,” no one wants to hear your talent prattle on.

Limit the speeches in each scene to 2-3 simple sentences. The chances are you’re not dealing with a professional actor, and if you are, it’s not a SAG actor, and if it is, they’re human, and shorter graphs are easier to read off a TelePrompTer or memorize.

Plus, you’ll notice the film moves along at a brisk pace, and that’s good.

Use the Correct Format

If your presentation is under 7 minutes, use the two-column audiovisual script format with the video on the left and the audio on the right. Use 10 pt. Arial or Helvetica for the audio side and 12 pt. Arial or Helvetica on the audio side. Single space the audio. Double-space the video.

For presentations longer than 7 minutes, use the standard script format for motion pictures.

In both formats, one page equals about one minute of screen time. With the AV format, this takes some practice. If timing is critical, it’s best to do a reading with a stopwatch.

Use the following abbreviations:

INT=Interior

EXT=Exterior

CU=Close-up

ECU=Extreme close up

POV=Point of view (meaning the scene’s character’s point of view)

BG=Background

FG=Foreground

CGI=Computer generated imagery (any computer animation)

CG=Character generation (letters typed on screen)

MOS=Without sound

FX=on screen live effects, aka; practical FX like bullet squibs

SFX=sound effects

OC=off-camera (someone is talking while camera is rolling, but they are not on screen)

VO=voice-over (someone is recorded, and their audio is laid over the scene)

When introducing a scene, always establish the scene. Like this:

INT. LIVING RM – DAY

EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE – NIGHT

Use capital letters when a character or object first appears in the script. Always capitalize FX and SFX in the script.

INT. CAR – NIGHT

CU on HARRY driving a 1967 FORD MUSTANG through the suburban streets at high speed. He lifts a GUN into frame and empties it. SHELL CASINGS fall. His CELLPHONE RINGS, and he glances down at it.

ECU – on cellphone.

Harry grabs it.

Use Camera Directions Sparingly

When I was a student at university, I took a class in theatre directing, and the professor told us to mark out the stage direction. “The writer has no business telling you how to direct your play,” he said.

That advice serves well when writing a script. You have no business telling the director how to direct his film or the director of photography how to shoot.

Keep your camera direction limited to WIDE, CU, and ECU. If you want to use DOLLY, TILT, or PAN, first understand the differences in those terms. Oh, look, I included a handy guide.

In the scene described above, I can envision myself as a director wanting a RACK FOCUS (changing the focal point of the shot from FG to BG or BG to FG) from tight on the gun to Harry’s face. That’s some dramatic storytelling. But I would never script it, even if I were the director. For starters, I’m not sure we could get the shot in the confined space of a car. Also, it might not play as well as I imagine it.

Especially when writing for business, the client is running a movie in their head as they read your script. Giving them too many specifics, when perhaps the filmmakers can’t deliver, is a poor course. Keeping the camera direction to a minimum in the script provides cover for the crew.

Remember, It’s a Collaborative Process

I don’t care if you have Martin Scorsese directing your film; it’s a collaborative process. When you’re writing the script, you have to respect the other crafts: the director, the director of photography, the art department, the audio production, and the post-production, as well as the actors. That’s why we capitalize certain words. It makes it easier for the producer, AD, and UPM to break down the elements of the script, so the other crafts know what to expect.

That is another argument for keeping your scripts simple. You need to let other crafts express themselves.

Write to Budget

I spent many years as a line producer and producer and many shoots sweating over the budget because the script had too many cast members, too many locations, or a difficult-to-obtain prop. To write to budget, you don’t have to be familiar with film/video production budgeting. Just exercise some common sense.

· Each location adds to the budget, so limit your settings.

· Professional talent costs money, so keep your on-screen time with the talent to a few lines.

· Drone shots and other aerials cost money.

· CGI, animation, or fancy FX costs money.

· If your client is your talent, limit their on-screen time and have them read lines off-camera. This is easier and cheaper than running through repeated takes and more affordable than an audio house, and the audio presence will match.

Focus on One Big Idea or Theme

This is especially true for commercials or one-minute explainer videos. Our clients usually have twenty ideas they want to cover, but in 30-60 seconds, audiences can only hold a single impression. Make that impression count by making it the sole focus. Even in a 7-10 minute presentation, stick to a central theme. If we’re demonstrating the XL-2000, we don’t need a history of the company or its commitment to orphaned donkeys. Just concentrate on demonstrating the product.

Remember, the Audio is as Important as the Pictures

Like camera direction, it’s to be included sparingly but don’t forget to give cues for music, SFX, and make your monologues and dialogues count. Avoid having characters or presenters talking for the sake of talking, but also make the script rich in audio and language.

Stingers and C-47s

The longer you’re on film sets, the more you pick up on the medium as a craft. This knowledge will feed your scripts. Eventually, you’ll learn about French overs, lockdowns, and writing to schedule as well as budget. You’ll learn nomenclature like an extension cord is a stinger, and a C-47 is a clothespin, not that you’ll ever script that, but you’ll be comfortable on set.

As a producer, I keep a company of players for various film/video projects and write for them. I know what they can and cannot handle and what their personalities bring to a project. Lee Majors once chastised me for using too many syllables, and BBC presenter Howard Stableford often edited my Americanisms.

Writing a script takes a different skill set from writing content articles or print ads. A screenwriter is a filmmaker as much as a director, a grip, or an actor. With the knowledge that you’re writing for a different medium and how that medium works, you can write like a screenwriter.

9 Ways to Write a Script Like a Hollywood Screenwriter