Why Storyboarding and Scripting is Important in Video Production

When it comes to creating a video and video production for your small business, many business owners think that they can just throw together a video and it will all come together. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. There’s the age old adage that says, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ Video production is no difference. If you want to produce a video that looks professional and is effective at communicating to your audience, you need to storyboard and script the video first. In this blog post, we’ll discuss why storyboarding and scripting are so important in video production and how they can help your small business achieve better outcomes.

What is Storyboarding in Video Production?

Storyboarding is something that happens during the pre-production phase of video production and is pretty essential to map out each scene in your video. This includes figuring out what will be happening in each scene, who will be in each scene, what the setting of each scene will look like, and anything else that needs to happen in order for the scene and video production to run smoothly.

By storyboarding, you’re allowing for everyone who is involved in the production of this video to be on the same page. It allows for everyone to have a general idea and map of what the final product will look and feel like. This is important because it allows for the talent, videographer, producer, director, editor, etc. to all be on the same page with a common goal in mind. This also limits any surprises that may come up during production and post-production.

Not only does storyboarding save you time and energy during production, but it also allows for a better final product – and you want your final product to be as best as it can possibly be. By having a plan and map of what needs to happen in each scene, you can avoid any issues that may come up last minute. This helps to create a more cohesive and polished project.

What if I am the talent, videographer, producer, and director?

If you’re creating a vlog or a simple TikTok or video for social mead, you don’t necessarily need a whole video production team – so there isn’t really a need to create a storyboard. But if you are creating a video that is more complex or has multiple people involved, we always recommend storyboarding.

However, if you have a quick little video that you want to make, still script it out! Figure out what you want to say and how you want to say it, and what you want your audience to take away from it.

What is Scripting in Video Production?

After you’ve finished constructing your storyboard, it’s time to start writing each scene. This is when you establish a structure for what should be said in each scene by creating a voiceover script or a dialogue script.

When someone is narrating a video and you’re not seeing them on camera, it’s known as a voiceover script. These are most often used for an explainer or video in which someone is demonstrating how to do something. These type of videos are very popular on YouTube.

A dialogue script is when there are people talking on camera. This would be used for things like interviews, testimonials, or even just two friends talking to each other.

It’s important to have a general idea of what needs to be said in each scene so that you can ensure that your message is being communicated effectively and efficiently.

Remember that if you don’t know what you’re saying then your audience doesn’t know what you’re saying. And if your audience doesn’t know what you’re saying, that is a bad and ineffective video.

This may seem like common sense, but if you’re hiring actors to act out a something, it’s critical that you script out their lines and actions ahead of time so that they can learn their part and character.

How Do You Script Out an Interview?

You may be wondering, “how does one script out an interview or a testimonial?” It’s a good question! You do so by having a pre-production meeting where you learn more about the interviewee’s story. You find out what is the most important things that they can say that parallels the message you’re trying to send to your audience.

Last year for example, we shot this video with Daniela for JMI and we spent a few calls on Zoom about a month before the interview where I just talked with her and heard her story. We had a plan, questions, and script going into shooting and so when we got to Moldova we wasted no time. Production went smoothly and we were able to turn around this project in 3 weeks.

Could you imagine if the first time I really heard about Daniela’s story was while I was in Moldova? That would’ve dragged out everything and probably would have resulted in a lesser product.

Takeaway

In conclusion, storyboarding and scripting is important in video production to get a better outcome. By having a plan and map of what needs to happen and be said in each scene, you can avoid any issues that may come up last minute. This helps to create a more cohesive and polished project. So next time you’re thinking about making a video, make sure to take the time to storyboard it out first. It will make all the difference.

If you’re looking for someone to do video production for yourself or your company, I’d love to chat about it. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.