Photo-Montage

Tips for Creating a Better Script for Video/Photo-Montage Although I am a writer, I am also a Voice Talent for webmercials, e-learning, and audiobooks. This week, I have been hired for a real-estate agencys web video, and find myself in a common situation: The person creating the script is not familiar with writing for this medium. Hence, I created a how-to, useful whether you are creating a video-trailer for your book or writing for a corporate website! * TIME (step one) Watchable time is 3 minutes, and most quick web pieces are less. Three two-minute pieces are better than one 6 minute piece; most people click away at 1.5 minutes. 200 words is around 1.5 minutes, so aim for 200-350 words. With that in mind, write down EVERYTHING that you think is important. Read aloud at a medium pace, and time it. Your written piece is probably five minutes. Now prioritize what you think is important, and write those concepts down in bullet form. Note if you like a certain tone (Cheery? Mellow? Dramatic? Authoritarian? Snarky?). * IMAGES (step two) Ask yourself: ==Do I have images for each of my bulleted ideas? Make a note next to your bullets of how many images you have for each and what they look like. Yes, you can write an image into more than one category- although you will not SHOW the image twice, writing it in two places gives you placement options. If there are ideas WITH NO IMAGES, then you need to get some OR decide to use written text (like â€Å"Comes in red as well†) OR save that idea for a later project. ==Do I have enough images for a whole sentence? This is a biggie. Watchable time for each image is 2-3 seconds. Lovely long compound sentences do not work, nor do sentences where the main object or verb is at the end of the sentence - people need to hear information that explains, modifies, colors what they are seeing. ==Which images are strong and should be first? I know it seems bass- ackwards to think about how it looks rather than what you want to say, but this is a visual medium first and foremost - your message is embedded in the images, not the other way around. ==What if I am having a video/photo professional create my images or use my existing images to decide which goes where? Highly recommended. HOWEVER, you should still have a notion of what KIND of images best show your idea and what kind of image might be a most-compelling initial visual! * SEQUENCE (step three) Start and end with the strongest images. Which ideas do they match on your bullet sheet? You may have to do some realigning of ideas and images, and that is okay. The strongest image/concept-clump is now first. What should come next? The second section is often a lesser point. In general, organize your sequence with main points separated * SCRIPT! (step four) Remember- SHORT AND SWEET. How can you talk about your ideas beautifully, dynamically and succinctly? Remember, each slide will only be 2 or 3 seconds and that your total time is 1.5 to 2.5 minutes. Now touch base with your visual artist (if you have one). As an expert in the visuals, s/he will tweak your concept to give the piece have your tone and tell an interesting story. * REVISIT/REVISE (final step) Your video-photo person will send you the piece for alterations. Send back your thoughts with any script changes, then wait for the final awesome project!!