Narration Writing (page 2)

The Right Time

Another important difference between scripts and other writing forms is the attention you must pay to timing. Timing issues are present in every phase of the process.

Very often, your overall production must fit into a predetermined time frame. This might be several hours for a documentary, thirty minutes for a training video or as short as fifteen to thirty seconds for a TV commercial. In these situations, you must time the dialogue so it matches the video. Let's examine how to do this.

First, when should the narration begin? Wait at least four or five seconds into each scene before beginning the VO. This gives the audience a chance to get its bearings. It also gives you some elbow room when it s time to edit.

When scripting actual narration, try to end your VO a bit short of the time limit. A good narrator can always stretch out the part, if necessary. It's much more difficult for the editor to cut narration that runs long.

This brings up the problem of determining how long the narration will run. Of course, you can't be precise (another reason why you should cut yourself a little slack), but at a normal speaking rate, the following approximations apply:

• 20 words = 10 seconds;
• 45 words = 20 seconds;
• 65 words = 30 seconds;
• 130 words = 60 seconds.

Of course, if you're scripting a commercial where the actor speaks at a breakneck pace (remember the old Fedex ad?), you'll need to adjust these times. In these situations, it's best to rehearse the speaker with a stopwatch.

Finally, give your viewer a breather by planning an additional four or five second cushion at the end of the scene.

Sounds Good

The most crucial difference between writing narration and writing for a print medium is that a script is meant to be read aloud and heard. Choose your words carefully, not only for meaning and rhythm, but also for how they sound.

You want your narrator to sound as good as possible, so try not to throw a lot of long words and tongue twisters at him or her. And keep your sentences short. Even VO artists have to breathe once in a while.

It helps to read your script aloud to someone or dictate into a tape recorder. This way, you can hear what the audience will hear, and you can test the script's readability and timing.

Shoot for sentences that don't ramble. Choose language that the narrator can read in a natural, conversational style. You're not writing a doctoral dissertation. Use contractions liberally. This is how most people speak. Pick words that flow easily from one to the next.

Test for word combinations that promote slurring and change them. Avoid phrases that require the narrator's tongue to have the agility of an Olympic gymnast. Remember, if you're having trouble making the words flow naturally, chances are your VO artist will too. True, he may be a pro, but the easier you make his job, the better the reading will be.

Formats

Now let's consider the mechanics of putting your ideas down on paper. While there are several variations, there are two basic video script formats.

The first divides the page into two columns. The left hand column contains a description of the video action. Text is single-spaced, upper-lower case. The VO appears in the right-hand column. You or your director might want to make notes or write additional instructions, so the text is double-spaced.

Corresponding numbers placed to the left of each column coordinate specific video footage with its audio counterpart.

At the bottom of each page are two numbers. They're actually two time codes expressed as a fraction, one above the other. The upper number indicates the elapsed time for that page. The lower shows the total time up to that point in the script.

This format is commonly used for training videos, brief documentaries and other short productions.

The second format uses only one column with alternating descriptions of video and audio. Depending on the application, the column may run from margin to margin, or it may be skewed to the right side of the page, leaving the left side blank. A teleplay script, for example, might be arranged this way to give the director room for notes and changes.

Video descriptions, sound effects and directions are all upper-case and single spaced. Dialogue is double spaced in upper-lower case.

Many directors prefer the single column format because it provides more room for notations.

A variation is to use a storyboard, where sketches of the action replace much of the video description. You can run the sketches left to right across the page with the corresponding VO under each drawing. Or you can set up two columns with the sketches on the left and the VO on the right. This method is common in TV commercials and other short videos. However, it s becoming increasingly popular in feature-length movies, especially for scripting special effects.

In any format, the script not only tells the narrator what to say, but how to say it. Type the instructions in upper-case, in parentheses and underlined, such as (PAUSE) or (LAUGHING). To emphasize a word in a script, underline it.