What came first, the film or the script?
Yes, you need a creative idea; yes, you need a great camera operator, but no, combined they don’t make a winning video. That comes from the script.
The problem is, all too often, it’s an after thought.
Getting inside your viewers’ heads
A video will only be a success if your audience connects with it on an emotional level.
No, that doesn’t mean you have to pull at their heartstrings and fill it with puppies and meme cats.
You need a great story, told by a great storyteller.
No, it can’t be fictional if it’s about your company or its products and services. In this case the story relates to how you are going to benefit your customer.
That might sound boring to you, but if you create an emotive story about it, it will engage, inspire and encourage people to react.
Relevance and emotion
Your script must powerfully illustrate how you help your customers. It must show:
- The problem they have
- Why it’s such a problem
- How your product/service solves that problem
- What’s in it for them
- Reiterate the benefits
- Call to action
Empathy is a strong emotion and by showing the viewer you understand what they’re going through an their frustrations, you’re creating a strong emotional bond.
Choosing your storyteller
Finding the right storyteller can be a challenge.
You might think that you can write the story, after all, it’s your company so you’re best qualified.
OK, but this storytelling isn’t the once upon a time you used to write at school. You have, perhaps 90 seconds at most to get your message across – that’s quite a challenge for anyone.
You need someone with commercial writing experience who can create a story that’s succinct, powerful and memorable.
Finish on a high
You may have noticed the term ‘call to action’ in the list about what a powerful story must contain.
Once you’ve reiterated the benefits you offer your client (so good it’s essential you say them twice), you must finish your story with a strong call to action.
This could either be a spoken “call us now….” coupled with the visual prompt of your logo and contact details, or simple an end screen dominated by your contact details.
Either way, you must round off your story by telling them what to do and how to do it, otherwise your video will end and no one will do anything.
As you can see, the script is the real power behind your video – get that right and the rest should follow.