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June 2002 Product Development Technique
Video Tapes Part II
Scripting
Last issue we talked about the mechanics of video and doing video
products. In this issue we'll concentrate on laying out your plan so
that you can do the project in the shortest amount of time and with the
least expense. As I said last time, video is much more
complex than audio because the picture must line up with the sound. In
my opinion this makes it five times as complex. It's
complex because something always has to be on the screen that makes
sense in relationship to what is being said. If you are talking to the
camera, then the words and picture will naturally line up, although
that's not that easy either as you'll see below. What if
you are explaining something and that something needs a close up
inspection by the camera. You either need two cameras with one camera
shooting the object close up while the other camera stays trained on you
or you have to shoot the item separately and edit that shot in later.
Both methods are infinitely more complex than simply talking about the
object on audio tape. You might ask, "Tom, can't just one
camera zoom in to get the close up and then zoom back out?" It sure can
if you want the viewer to feel like they are in the fun house at Coney
Island amusement park. A slow zoom in and out can be OK, but certainly
not over and over again during the course of a product video.
The way it would be done is to shoot the product in close up and then
edit that shot in later. This is no problem to do, but requires really
good organization skills of keeping track of all the shots that need cut
in later and where they go. This is so that the editor doesn't have to
search for a half hour each time he/she needs to find one of the shots
to put in to the video. Being disorganized can be EXTREMELY COSTLY and frustrating.
Shooting with two or more cameras can cut out much of the editing
process and in some cases it's a good way to go. Again though it has its
own level of complexity and expense. You need a director, who runs a
"switcher" (this switches between the different cameras) and two or more
camera operators. This is bare minimum. One option for a
single camera shoot is to use a really good wedding videographer. A good
camera operator who is privy to the big picture of the entire project
can do quite a bit of editing right in the camera while
they are shooting. Many people good enough to do this are in the wedding video
business. They still won't be able to stop the action if you are
shooting live to get those close ups we talked about. All
this leads to the fact that you better have your act together BEFORE you
start shooting video or the time and costs will get out of hand very
quickly. Storyboarding Most efficient productions illustrate the
entire video shoot on pieces of paper with little television screens
representing the picture. You can use stick figures or cartoons figures
in the little screens. The words being said are written next to their
respective screens. This is called "narration" or "voice over" (VO).
This entire process is called "storyboarding." You can find books on
this at major bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble. Here's a
good website that will illustrate what a storyboard is.
http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/TechHelp/Storyboarding.html
It may even be worth it to do dry runs with your home video camera to
make sure you know every shot and where it goes and what is being said
during the time the shot is on the screen. I can assure
you this will be a sobering experience for you and you may question your
decision to do a video product. You will see the complexity of putting a
good video product together. Live shoots
Live shoots normally let all the cameras roll with the director picking
the shots or more likely on low budget shoots with one main camera
running continuously to cover the action. Any other secondary cameras
could be roving to pick up audience shots or fixed on a tripod at a
different angle than the main camera. Footage from the secondary cameras
is edited in to the footage from the main camera. If you
are going to do a live shoot in front of a live audience for any purpose
you should be pretty polished with your material. On really long all day
shoots I have no problem with using a handout and referring to it often.
Referring to it does not mean "reading from it." When the video camera
is on, you must plan for tons of eye contact with the crowd. You look
really bad on video with your head down reading or looking at notes all
the time. Teleprompters If you are doing a project where you must talk
directly to the camera, if you have a budget, you hire a teleprompter
and operator. If you are on a tighter budget there is teleprompter
software available which you can run from a computer with the monitor
sitting next to the camera lens. monitor. It's not quite as good because
a true teleprompter lets you look directly into the lens. If you do lots
of this you could make a "thru-the-lens" teleprompter box with
glass and mirrors along with your computer software and a monitor. This
link will sell you the software and plans to build a thru the lens
teleprompter box.
http://www.videouniversity.com/intelipr.htm If
you have no budget, you can tape a piece of paper to the bottom of the
lens. Put big bullet points on the paper and don't let the paper hang
too low because your eyes will obviously NOT be looking into the lens
and your tape will really look BAD. Warn the shooter.
When I know I'm going to be videotaped in a live event I talk to the
camerapersons before the shoot to alert them to out of the ordinary
shots that I want to make sure they get. For instance, if I'm going to
run off the stage into the audience, the camera people (and sometimes
the lighting people) need to know this in advance or the shot gets
ruined. Sometimes I'll give them a "shooting script" so
they know to prepare for a shot before it arrives. I'll mark the script
in bold or use a highlighter to note the words I'll be saying before the
shot so they can get ready. A good camera person will
welcome this. If you get a response from a camera person something like,
"I don't need that. I'll get the shot," you can immediately assume they
WON'T get the shot. Where's the scripting? C'mon Tom, this article was
supposed to be about scripting. Well folks, from my experience every one
of the little tips I gave you above plays into the entire script. You
can make really good low budget productions if you think everything out
in advance. If you don't believe me, get the book by Robert Rodriquez
"Rebel Without a Crew." This 23 year old guy shot a 90 minute feature
film called "El Mariachi" for $7,000.00. Hollywood chased him and gave
him 6 million to do the sequel "Desperado" with Salma Hayek and Antonio
Banderas. You can get the DVD of both movies too where he narrates the
entire film telling how he cut corners to make the movie.
So, I really don't care how you write it down, but you must layout every
single shot from beginning to end. You must lay out the locations, the
props needed, the clothing you or other actors will wear. . . .
.everything needed for the final production. This process will save you
enormous time, money and headaches when you are actually ready to shoot.
Some references: Video Scriptwriting
by Barry Hampe -- This book is primarily designed to help you write
scripts for the commercial market, but it does give you lots of tips on
scriptwriting. Making Videos for Money by
Barry Hampe -- This book is a complete work on planning and producing
videos, commercials and infomercials. Film & Video
Marketing by Michael Wiese -- Not about scripting at all, but
pretty much the icon of the industry when it comes to learning how to
sell and distribute films and videos. Next issue we'll talk about packaging
and duplicating your video product
Other upcoming topics
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