{"id":223,"date":"2012-04-24T17:03:42","date_gmt":"2012-04-24T21:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/?p=223"},"modified":"2012-04-24T18:25:48","modified_gmt":"2012-04-24T22:25:48","slug":"seven-steps-to-writing-for-reading-on-cameras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/seven-steps-to-writing-for-reading-on-cameras\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Steps To Writing For Reading On Camera"},"content":{"rendered":"

My friend Rick Dearborn had some great tips on his MARKETVIDPOST<\/a> blog. I asked his permission to share them with you, and he graciously accepted. Here is Rick’s post:<\/p>\n

Most marketers are already good writers. They\u2019re involved in carefully choosing words and crafting marketing messages all day long. But writing a script to be read on camera is a whole different experience that requires a few new skills. Here are a few useful tips that will help you create scripts that area easier to read aloud:<\/p>\n

1. READ IT ALOUD. No matter what you\u2019ve written, read it out loud to yourself. See how it flows and feels, and make changes accordingly. Then put it down for a while, and do it again. You will be surprised at the edits that will be needed.<\/p>\n

2. CONTRACTIONS. When writing we rarely use contractions, but they\u2019re commonplace in our speach. When writing to be read aloud, contractions are essential. After you write your script, read it over an look for places where contractions make sense. Here is an example that shows what a difference contractionscan make:<\/p>\n

Before: \u201cNow you are ready to get started. We are sure you aready know there is a best way to begin. But, if you do not, here is how you can start. You will need to write a draft first and you will need to read it aloud. It is always a good idea to start that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

After: \u201cNow you\u2019re ready to get started. We\u2019re sure you already know there\u2019s a best way to begin. But, if you don\u2019t, here\u2019s how you can start. You\u2019ll need to write a draft first, and you\u2019ll need to read it aloud. It\u2019s always a good idea to start that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. COMMAS. Commas make good gramatical sense, but in most cases they don\u2019t work well when reading aloud. The reason is, when we read aloud we feel we need to pause when we see a comma. The gramatical use of a comma does not necessarily result in the best phrasing when reading aloud. After you write your script, take all the commas out and read it aloud. Where it feels natural to pause, put dashes in instead of commas. Then read aloud again and adjust as necessary.<\/p>\n

4. UNDERLINING. If there are particular words you need to emphasis when reading aloud, underline them. But, don\u2019t go crazy with it. Use underlining sparingly, only on the words that are really important. Some techniques recommend single, double, and triple underlining of words all through your script to ensure different levels of emphasis. If you go crazy with underlining, your reading can sound mechanical. It should be natural and real. I recommend using underlining only for the words that really matter.<\/p>\n

5. PARAGRAPH PHRASING. Don\u2019t hesitate to break your script up into smaller, shorter paragraphs \u2013 it will help you phrase the concepts when reading aloud. I\u2019ts ok to even make a paragraph out of a single sentence.<\/p>\n

6. FONT SIZE AND LINE SPACING. It really helps to write the script in a larger than usual font, one that is easy to read aloud. I also recommend greater than normal line spacing. I like 24 point Arial font, with 1.5 to 2.0 line spacing. That gives you a little space to enter hand written underlining or other small changes. (But, don\u2019t get too carried away with hand written edits on your script. They can get hard to read. It\u2019s always better to make them in the computer and print out a new copy, if you can).<\/p>\n

7. ALL CAPS. When you write a script in ALL CAPS, you can focus more on the emphasis of the meaning, rather than on the structural, making it easier to read. <\/p>\n

That last tip is controversial to some, but I have to say that when I write scripts for myself, I write in all caps. Maybe it has something to do with the teletype copy I used to read. Those machines only had caps, and everyone in radio learnedly to read copy that way. I hope this helps.
\n— that’s a wrap<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My friend Rick Dearborn had some great tips on his MARKETVIDPOST blog. I asked his permission to share them with you, and he graciously accepted. Here is Rick’s post: Most marketers are already good writers. They\u2019re involved in carefully choosing words and crafting marketing messages all day long. But writing a script to be read … Continue reading Seven Steps To Writing For Reading On Camera<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,1],"tags":[27,39,19],"class_list":["post-223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behind-the-scenes","category-uncategorized","tag-production-planning","tag-videos-as-content","tag-writer"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226,"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223\/revisions\/226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videosonyourwebsite.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}