writing-video-scripts

# Video Script Write the whole monologue first, to the video's total length, then cut it into one segment per clip. ## Workflow ### Step 1: Collect what the video has already fixed These are decided before the script is written, and the writing has to fit inside them: - **a brief of what the words should communicate** — the script is written from this, cut to fit the duration where it won't all fit - how long the video runs in total - how many clips it is, and how many seconds each one runs - which beats of the story land in which clip — what happens on screen, not what gets said - whether the words are spoken on camera or carried as a voiceover - which claims may be made, if any Where any of these is missing, ask for it rather than assuming it. ### Step 2: Work out the budget Speech runs at a fixed pace, so the word count isn't a style choice. - **Aim for 2-3 words per second of clip.** That is the target — a 15-second clip wants about 30 to 40 words. - **Never go past three words per second.** That is the ceiling, and it is the number Step 6 tests against. A 15-second clip fails at 46 words. The gap between the two is deliberate: it is room for the pauses, the breath and the beats where the picture carries the moment. A segment written to the ceiling leaves none of that. Add the per-clip budgets up against the total length before drafting anything. Where a segment runs long, cut words. Never speed up the delivery, and never stretch the clip to fit the writing. ...