Creating a Video Screenplay Guide
In the competitive world of animation, creating an engaging and informative explainer video is crucial. Creamy Animation, one of the top studios in the industry, offers valuable insights to help businesses craft an effective video script.
1. **Use a conversational tone** Speak to your viewers as if you were having a conversation. Avoid jargon and formal language, making the message easier to understand and more engaging.
2. **Keep scenes concise** Limit narration to 3-4 sentences per scene to maintain a dynamic pace and hold viewers’ attention.
3. **Structure your script with a clear flow** Adopt a five-part structure for a typical 60- to 90-second explainer video:
- Hook: Grab attention with a problem, question, or bold statement. - Context: Briefly explain the pain point or situation. - Solution: Introduce your product or service clearly and simply. - How It Works: Show 2–3 easy steps demonstrating usage or features. - Call to Action: End with a strong, clear instruction.
4. **Match visuals tightly with the script** The animation should reinforce the narration and illustrate key points clearly, enhancing comprehension and engagement.
5. **Read your script aloud and get feedback** This helps identify awkward phrasing and ensures the script flows naturally when spoken.
6. **Keep the message focused and concise** A well-defined main message that fits into a roughly 90-second timeframe ensures clarity and viewer retention.
7. **Plan for platform and audience** Optimize length and content based on where the video will be shown and who it targets, considering sharing ease and engagement factors.
When writing the first draft of the video script, it's important to ignore every restriction and constraint, and simply write without editing. The studio has worked with startups, large corporations, non-profits, and businesses from the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia, demonstrating their versatility and expertise.
The studio recommends using real people and their actual experiences, as much as possible, when telling a story in the video script. They create cartoon explainer videos, training videos, corporate videos, and other motion graphics animated videos for business and non-profits.
To evoke an emotional response from the viewers, emotion should be injected into the video script. The ideal word count per minute for comprehension and retention is between 125 to 155 words, with a range of 240 to 320 words for a 90-second to 2-minute video.
The focus of the video should be on explaining the product or service, with the hook being used to grab the audience's attention. The studio suggests adopting a three-act structure for the video script: Act 1 - Show the viewer the problem, Act 2 - Demonstrate how the product or service solves the problem, Act 3 - Explain why the viewer should choose the product or service instead of someone else's.
A succinct call to action should be included in the video script, with only a single call to action being recommended. The use of music in the animation could reflect the upbeat, cheerful, and hopeful nature of the solution. The studio recommends creating a short written creative brief for a video project before starting the script writing process.
- To ensure your explainer video resonates with your audience, casually converse with them using easy-to-understand language and avoid technical jargon.
- In the interest of maintaining viewer attention, keep each scene's narration limited to 3-4 concise sentences.
- Organize your script around a five-part structure, including a captivating hook, context, solution, how it works, and a call to action.
- To maximize understanding and engagement, ensure that the visuals align with the narration, clearly illustrating key points.
- Read the script aloud, seek feedback, and make necessary adjustments to guarantee it flows smoothly when spoken.
- Maintain focus and brevity throughout the script to ensure clarity and retention, ideally fitting the main message within a 90-second timeframe.
- Conduct a thoughtful analysis of the target platform and audience to tailor length and content, enhancing shareability and engagement.
- When scripting the video, initial emphasis should be on expressing the product or service, with the hook serving to grab the audience's attention.
- The studio advises structuring the video around a three-act narrative: showing the viewer a problem in Act 1, demonstrating the solution in Act 2, and explaining why the viewer should choose the product or service in Act 3.
- Close the video with a clear, concise, and singular call to action, and consider incorporating music that echoes the upbeat, cheerful, and optimistic nature of the solution.
- Before diving into script writing, create a short written creative brief for the video project, outlining goals, target audience, and key messages.
- In crafting your video script, remember that your lifestyle, personal growth, career development, education, and shopping habits could be just as valuable in the storytelling process as resources from fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, relationships, travel, and cars.
