Generally, a script is developed before the pictures (or "shots") are decided upon. In some situations - say where a live event is being filmed & something unexpected or newsworthy happens - a script might be developed after the event. However, in almost all circumstances, the cameracrew & sound recordist will need to know exactly what they're supposed to be looking at or listening to before they get any equipment out of the van and any actors or presenters will need to rehearse before the filming commences.

The script can take a number of different forms depending on the nature of the production & whether "on-screen talent" (such as actors/presenters) are to be used. However, the majority of work takes the outline ideas developed in the early stages and builds the script document from these. In fact, in our case at any rate, the final stages of the outline are virtually indistinguishable from the early script.

The Outline

After a rough budget has been agreed, an outline is developed. This is initially quite a short description based on the original brief. It gets larger - eventually quite detailed - and relies on both the brief and experts in the subject matter.

The purpose of the outline is to come up with an idea which will meet the objectives & be achievable within the budget. It really describes how the finished video will look.

A common mistake is to decide the length of a production before really developing the outline. It's often the case that what seems like a good idea that will keep the viewer enthralled will fall flat on its face if you insist on a production that is too long. The idea just might not stretch that far! Sometimes a good idea on paper might be better served with a shorter production and, in any case, anything more than twenty minutes needs to be broken up into segments.

The old adage of "Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em", "Tell 'em" and "Tell 'em what you've told 'em" is probably the best maxim for the structure of most corporate and training videos. It's also prudent to list the three main ideas that you want to get across or to think about possible material in terms of what the audience "must know", what they "should know" and what they "could know" at the end of your production.

As the outline (together with the brief) should contain information about the time & resources required, this is the point where the production budget can be calculated in detail. Changes in the resources required after this stage can be costly. So, it's important to make sure that the outline is detailed.

The Script
The script is developed from the discussions around the outline. It details the camera shots, graphics, voiceover, background sound effects and music. This will commonly show the locations & resources required. We usually try to visit the locations involved and take still pictures or video from the places we intend to shoot. This helps us to establish the best time of day & to avoid problems such as pointing the camera into the sun.

By this point, the words for the script have usually been worked out fully (or themes and durations specified and a draft voice-over commisioned). Sometimes a scriptwriter will be employed to create the words, sometimes the subject matter experts and the producer/director do this. Once in place, this leads naturally on to the storyboard.

The Storyboard & Shotlist

This gives the who, what, where, when & how for every aspect of the production.

Some directors swear by storyboards - others hate them & feel that they constrain the creative process. That may be true, particularly where actors are used - too rigid scripting can make actors appear "wooden". It's also true that on location the director may spot a shot or have new ideas. But failing to decide upon what you're going to film before you take the camera out in vegeance probably means you're heading for disaster. Fail to prepare & prepare to fail.

I, for one, cannot draw to save my life... and I suspect some of the directors who avoid storyboards suffer a similar affliction. Some of those that do use storyboarding draw stick-men & very crude hand-drawings - the point is that the storyboard was never meant to be a masterpiece. As long as it conveys to the participants who & what should be where, it's OK.

Other directors employ a graphic artist to draw out the cartoons - and this is fine (if expensive & time-consuming) - but it means that if there are changes, further drawings must be created by the artist.

At train4business we try to use still pictures to overcome the director's lack of drawing ability! These are taken from animations we've produced, from previous films we've made, from the location recce's or they are custom created in computer software.

An example of one page from the storyboard from a recent production is available here.

It also originally contained timing & further info for the cameraman but has been simplified for display purposes. The board shows three scenes in three different locations - The first is from the apron at the airport, the second from air to air filming with the cameraman & camera strapped into an open door...(don't tell me cameramen have an easy life!)... and the third is from another flight.

We number our scenes initially as 1,2,3 etc. and then subdivide if we add a scene. So, you can see in this example that scene 2 originally started at one location but was sub-divided as different locations and camera positions were added. Any change of location or camera position results in a new scene.

Before filming commences, the crew receive a 'Shotlist' - this takes the storyboard & splits it up into the order in which we're going to film. So, here for example, Scene 3 was filmed, along with other scenes involving the cockpit, after we'd filmed Scene 2-5... and finally Scene 2-4 was filmed.

Whilst we were busy filming on a cold October morning, the voiceover artist (V.O) was in a nice warm studio recording the final voiceover, using the timings we'd developed.

Sometimes a voiceover isn't recorded until after the film has been edited. Here the V.O. synchronises the words to the film.

In this case, we knew the words we were going to use, the emphasis, timing and pace at which we wanted them said and we knew the pictures we wanted behind them.

After the film had been graded to see which bits were good & which we couldn't use, they were edited together with animations and graphics. The voiceover was altered to add pauses (or to shorten them & remove breath noises) before it was mixed together with the background music.

.... and Roberta, as they say, is your uncles mother.

(To see part of the resulting video, click the samples button and select "Examples showing compressed video - there is a text link to this production there. If you'd like to see the full video at much higher quality, please use the 'contact us' button - we have a secure site with windows media versions installed and genuine enquiries will be given access. We have had to restrict access to the site in order to achieve reasonable bandwidth limits.)

If you want to discuss a project with us, feel free to Email or call... we don't bite! Just click the "Contact Us" button on the left.

T4B- Who are we?

• People with experience of actually working in industry - not just telling others how to do it!
• People with a pragmatic approach to learning - Results matter!
• People with broad development & software solution knowledge - We use methodology that works best - One size does not fit all!
• People with around 20 years experience of teaching adult learners from the shopfloor to post graduates
• People dedicated to leveraging CBT, Multimedia and Video Production technology at the service of the learner - Training needs to add value and be driven by your objectives