Seven tips for great scripts

We all want our ads to stand out on air, so here are a few ideas that might spark some creative magic in your script writing. from Abe Udy.

1. A good word count guide: 75 words for 30 seconds of copy, 36 for a 15 second script.?Contrary to popular opinion, yelling more doesn’t always sell more, and more shout isn’t always more clout!

For a voice to put expression, passion and ’sell’ into a read, a few less words are often better than a script that is very, very full. Before sending for production, read the script aloud with a stopwatch running (If you don’t have one – we’d be happy to send you a very cool Abe’s Audio stopwatch with built in radio, torch and compass) to make sure the style of read you’re after fits into the duration.

2. Turn the caps lock button off. Scripts written in all capitals can be quite hard to read. Put words you want EMPHASISED in caps – and the voice will get a clearer picture of the sound you have in your head. And if you need an abbreviation read, just put dots between the letters.

3. Watch you have line breaks in the correct places, and you’re not unnecessarily splitting sentences over multiple lines in the copy. This helps the voice to grasp how you want the phrasing.

4. Check that your spelling, grammar and punctuation is correct – and any brand or place names are written phonetically at the top of the script so the voice will know the correct pronunciation.

5, Write numbers as numerals, not words. Numbers written as words can be tricky to read – the brain deals with numerals far better, particularly if there are more than two strung together.?eg: ‘1.25 litre coke’ not one point two five litre coke, or ‘86 7364 5821′ not eight six seven three six four.

6. Lose the “www.” from web site addresses. It’s generally not needed. If a site does not load without it, its webmaster could configure it to do so. This will save you valuable time.

7. Standard fonts are best such as Helvetica or Arial. 12 or 14 point size is ideal.

Clearly written scripts go a long way to helping a voice-over to deliver the best read.. The end product will be better and your client will be happier as they’ll see results.

 

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