Writing Our Script

What is a script? A script is a set of instructions used in preparation for a performance.

Example of a TV Commercial Script Two columns 1.Video: What you see in the commercial is written in the Video column. 2.Audio: What you hear in the commercial is written in the audio column.

VideoAudio Five girls running along the beach in their swimmers. Girls stop and one girl picks up a box of cereal laying in the sand. 4 other girls look puzzled. Camera zooms in on the box. Camera shot of girls pointing out to sea. Camera zooms in on pirate. Pirate waving at the girls. Camera on girls laughing and opening the box and eating the cereal. Music playing in the background. Girl holding the box: Wow, what’s this? Girl number 2: It looks like a box of Honey Treasure. Girl 3: It’s only got 2 grams of fat per serve. (dog barks in the background). Girl 4: Is that a pirate? Pirate: Hi girls, my Honey Treasure blows you down it’s so light in calories!

If there is anything like a formula for writing a local 30-second TV script, it’s this: 1. Say it. 2. Explain it. 3. Repeat it.

Focus the content of your commercial on the product you're trying to sell. Finished script, which will be about one page long, will result in a commercial that lasts about 30 seconds. You have a very short time to sell the product. Every image and sound you write should be aimed at doing this.

Think in terms of short film. Commercials are just that. A television commercial should have a beginning, a middle and an end. It should tell a short story about the product you're writing about or show how the public uses the product in question. Always keep your target audience in mind, and gear everything in your television commercial script for them

Familiarize yourself with what you're selling and to who you're selling it to. Most television commercials allow only 30 seconds to communicate your product or idea, so you don't have time to be clever at the expense of being effective. Jot down or outline images and ideas you want included in the spot to best engage your target market's interest. Format the script into two columns. Headline the left column, "VIDEO", with the word in all capitals and underlined. Title the column on the right, "AUDIO", in the exact manner. Double space beneath these headings. Beneath the "VIDEO" heading, write all the images and actions the audience will see happening in the commercial, shot by shot. Capitalize everything in this section. Beneath the "AUDIO" heading, write all that the audience will hear, including dialogue, noises and music. Keep the audio elements side-by-side with the corresponding video description for each shot. Double space to clearly separate each successive shot contained within the script.