Producing Video in 2024? Download Our Editable Video Script Template

Every word and every image is carefully lined up on the page, so the editor can turn the words on the script, whether written or spoken, into the video you see below:

Why Do I Need a Video Script?

If you use a video script template correctly, you will recognize its value during every phase of production. Because the script helps you visualize the finished product, it will help you foresee any issues or concerns long before they would ever be considered for the editor, and in many cases, even before they are filmed.

• Planning — By definition, the script is the source of lines for any speakers, narrators, or actors in your video. But it's also the sequential instructions that help you lay out those lines with the visuals to plan your production, fleshing out the vision so you can make changes to your drafts long before you ever film or edit them.
• Efficiency — If everybody understands how to read and visualize a script while it's in progress, it becomes an effective way to share the vision, gather critiques, and discuss corrections. Even in our "unscripted" videos, a draft script is an efficient way to share and discuss the messaging and structure, as well as the plans for execution.
• Estimating — A script even serves as a benchmark to help you estimate the timing of your video. Most scripts in this template result in about 30 seconds per page, although different templates and different applications will vary.
• Execution — Once the scripting is complete, it becomes the authoritative guide for the production of your video — a common touchpoint for communicating the vision to on-camera and voice talent, videographers, and editors. It lays out how every word, every image, and every element in your video should come together.

Pro Tip: Although the script is a valuable tool to bring together all three columns in your production — video, audio, and graphics — it can also be an effective litmus test, helping you analyze how well each of these three critical elements will work on their own. Read down the "audio" column to see whether your messaging works for somebody who's not paying attention to the video, the "video" column for somebody who doesn't hear the audio on social media,  and the "graphics" column to make sure you're identifying key themes and messages properly.

Bonus: How Do We Use Scripts for "Unscripted Videos"?

In the beginning of this article, I mentioned that at StoryTeller we specialize in "unscripted videos." By their name alone, one might assume they don’t require scripts - so how do scripts apply?

Unscripted videos aren't planned word-for-word. Much like a documentary, the producer begins with an understanding of the key messages that need to be communicated, and the characters who will best articulate that information. The producer will write a list of questions, steering the conversation to ensure the interview subject delivers the desired responses. That response is captured in the words of the interview subject, not a "canned" or “scripted” response. But once filming is complete, the producer will examine all the footage from the interview and craft a script of soundbites for the editor.  The right script – or in this scenario, the right outline of questions – will help the video stay on-topic and save time during the filming process. 

Conclusion

Using a video script template works for long videos as well as short pieces, it works for documentaries and music videos. We used a similar format for news stories when I was at WCCO-TV, the local CBS affiliate in Minneapolis. If you're working on a video project and don't have your own video script formatting tool, download the StoryTeller template. I guarantee it will help you organize your project and improve communication with all stakeholders.