You've got your idea, your format, and your team. Now, it’s time to write your script. Scripting is your opportunity to make sure your message is delivered in a compelling way. Plus, it'll help you structure your production and better organize shoot days.

Chris Lavigne

Nametag CRL@2x

Head of Production

Dave Mizzoni

Nametag dave@2x

Actor & Producer 

Brooke Van Poppelen

Nametag van poppelen@2x

Comic, Writer, Actor

Kibi Anderson

Nametag anderson@2x

Digital Content & Strategy Executive

Kristen Bryant

Nametag kristen@2x

Strategic Partnerships Manager

Adam Day

Nametag adam day@2x

Lead Producer

Elena Besser

Nametag besser@2x

Trained Chef & TV Host

Michelle Khouri

Nametag khouri@2x

CEO & Founder

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Example Script 

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Deleted Scenes

Scripting


NARRATOR: A big part of planning for your show is planning what you're going to say. Yep, it's time to think about scripting.

CHRIS LAVIGNE: The most important part of scripting for shows is knowing when something needs to be scripted and when it doesn't. Your script doesn't need to be a dense, TV-ready tome like this.

In fact, over-scripting can feel cheesy and downright weird, depending on the format of your show.

NARRATOR: But even if your show is unscripted, you still need to know what to say. Comedian Dave Mizzoni--

DAVE MIZZONI: Hello. It is a pleasure.

NARRATOR: --just launched his largely unscripted series, Game Show.

DAVE MIZZONI: An unscripted show is a blast, unpredictable, and also mostly scripted.

BROOKE VAN POPPELEN: Don't be fooled by a project that's labeled "unscripted." It's going to be heavily scripted.

KIBI ANDERSON: Scripted or unscripted, if it's not on the page, it's not happening.

CHRIS LAVIGNE: When it comes to shows that are centered around natural conversations, like podcasts, docuseries, interview shows, you should still create these small, scripted moments to serve almost as waypoints for your talent.

For example, you might script a scene that looks like this-- a short written introduction that your talent delivers pretty much word for word, a couple of bullet points you want them to talk about in their own words, and then a written outro to help your talent end the scene. This can help you anchor your scene without needing your talent to memorize lines or act them out.

KIBI ANDERSON: During my time at Red Table Talk, the power of having an amazing script really, really did us an awesome job. We were shooting with our core talent. Gammy, who's a little newer to the space, was a little nervous. And I could tell as she was going through her lines that she wasn't fully connecting with the audience. She wasn't in her body. She just felt very mechanical.

And so because we were able to give her a full idea of where we were taking this, it really helped calm her down and allow her to come across in a much more organic and honest way. And she shined. It was absolutely phenomenal.

BROOKE VAN POPPELEN: I think it's really important to put a lot of work into what, in my experience, has been called a beat sheet. The talent is going to be led in a way where, yeah, we want you to be who you are. I'm going to say what I want to. But the producers are going to be following a script to make sure that they're getting sound bites from you that connect in a linear fashion.

You're going to need a setup from the talent. You're going to need some of the middle portion, the meat. You're going to need transition sentences, and you're going to need someone to end it with a good cap.

CREW: Nice.

BROOKE VAN POPPELEN: Great.

NARRATOR: This is exactly how the Wistia show Low Views, High Impact was scripted. Here's Kristen Bryant on what it's like to do an unscripted scene.

KRISTEN BRYANT: On Low Views, High Impact, it was easy for me to talk about Wistia, build rapport with guests, and really just have a good time on camera. What was harder was managing my time or feeling like I was rambling. And a script provided the structure that I needed to kind of get through each take.

A lot of times, even when you're doing an unscripted scene, having a script will provide that guidance to make sure you have a good way to get in and out of a take. And it'll make your shoots a lot easier and faster.

ADAM DAY: Be ready to workshop lines with your talent in the moment.

NARRATOR: That's Adam Day, lead producer at Wistia.

ADAM DAY: Sometimes when you write a script, it might sound better on paper than when you get somebody in front of the camera delivering those lines. So it's great to have someone who's good at writing scripts on set.

When I was working on Low Views, High Impact, it was really important for me to understand the basic sentiments that we wanted to express. And that way, if Kristen was having trouble with a line, or it just wasn't working out, we could rewrite it right then. We could workshop it so that it would sound more natural, it would be easier to remember, and we'd have more successful takes.

I don't know. Can you see the socks? Are the socks too bright? I have, like, four other pairs of socks.

ELENA BESSER: You've got to know your talent.

NARRATOR: Chef Elena Besser has been on unscripted shows for the Food Network.

ELENA BESSER: Yes, and if you're working with someone that really feels super comfortable in front of the camera, like maybe they're comfortable riffing on certain things, and you can just work with them in the moment, and you don't necessarily need to worry as much about scripting things for them.

NARRATOR: Could you do that right now?

ELENA BESSER: Like what I just said?

NARRATOR: Yeah. Could you take what you just said and make it a bit shorter?

ELENA BESSER: Yeah, OK. What was my lead-in again?

NARRATOR: You've got to know your talent.

[BEEP]

ELENA BESSER: You've got to know your talent, yes. So if you have someone that really is comfortable on camera, does improv like Jimmy Fallon, then you don't need to script it as much.

NARRATOR: Awesome. OK, and what's next?

ELENA BESSER: Well, on the other hand, I would say, if you have someone that maybe needs a bit more handholding, that isn't as comfortable, maybe, repeating themselves too much, then maybe that would be a good time to integrate cue cards or give them some written notes or maybe even a teleprompter.

MICHELLE KHOURI: The most important thing is to know what works for you to make you feel most natural in the production. For me, I like to do a lot of research up front and then have zero script on the day of recording. That makes me feel prepared, but not locked into any one way the conversation may take me.

For other people, they like to have bullet points. That makes them feel supported by structure, but not too locked in, like a script can do. And still for other people, the good old-fashioned script works wonders. No matter what you choose, just make sure that it's the one that makes you feel the most authentic, because authenticity, at the end of the day, is key.

CREW: There we go.

MICHELLE KHOURI: I want my kitty! Are you OK? You OK?

NARRATOR: When it comes to scripting parts of your show, here's some helpful do's and don'ts. Script things like show intros and outros, how to introduce a guest, brand messaging from your company that needs to stay consistent, and any concept that will fall apart without concise, word-perfect language.

Don't script things like interviews, panel discussions, or testimonials. But some shows do call for a formal, TV-style script. So dial in that Courier New font and get ready to write a script like this.

ADAM DAY: No, no, no, no, no. Hold on, hold on. That is not what we're saying at all. Yes, a script like that may be industry standard, but guess what? I'm not usually writing for people in the industry, and you're probably not, either.

I'm sharing my scripts with marketers, so most of my video scripts look like two- or three-column Excel spreadsheets. In one column, I put the dialogue, or a description of the action that I'm thinking about. And in the other column, I put an image, just a stock image that is basically an approximation of the shot that I'm thinking of.

It's basically like a storyboard. And it helps people see what I'm seeing in my head, rather than reading page after page of text in one of those industry-standard scripts.

KIBI ANDERSON: It's a road map. Once you have that, you have the freedom to do so many other things creatively that can take this to the next level. But having that road map to start is so powerful and so important.

DAVE MIZZONI: We have a bullshit meter, as people. We know when people are not being authentic. We can sense it when they're right in front of us, and we can certainly sense it on the screen.

NARRATOR: Yep, no matter how you choose to script your show, remember that scripting is essential to getting your message across. Head over to Show Business Resources to download script examples and templates.

