Project Description
Client: Made With Maturity – Web & Digital Marketing Agency, Plymouth
Brief: Video script copywriting
When: October 2017
Coombeshead Academy (YouTube channel)
“We’ve contracted DropCapCopy to work with us on client projects for a couple of years now. Graeme’s always a delight to work with. He responds quickly, produces a high-quality set of copy every time, and always maintains active communication. We’ve been impressed with Graeme’s copywriting and will continue working with DropCapCopy again on future projects.”
Ben & Clare Stirling, Made With Maturity ~ Web & Digital Marketing Specialists.
Working with a web and digital agency on a regular basis often presents new challenges. So when Ben from Made With Maturity asked for my involvement in one of their client projects, it gave me the opportunity to cover new ground and write and develop video scripts for a series of short animation videos.
Project Background
Based in Newton Abbot, Coombeshead Academy is an Ofsted rated ‘Good’ school with outstanding features. A great achievement in itself and high praise in a competitive sector.
But being in a catchment area with several schools posed its own problems. Coombeshead wanted to capture what they believed made them stand out from the rest. But adding a new page on the Coombeshead Academy website might get overlooked. Instead, they decided a series of four video animations would be the best way to highlight the Academy’s core values.
The brief
To help create the video animations, MwM project managed a team that included an illustrator/animator, music designer, voice-over artist and, of course, copywriter. Together, we had the task of developing a set of short animation videos to engage and connect with students and parents alike.
My brief was to turn the facts into a narrative or story. Creating a script that was much more visual, and communicated their values effectively. With around 30 seconds per video, the video script needed to be short, concise and well within the time constraints.
Video Script Copywriting
With Ben leading the project, he had discussions with Coombeshead about the overall message and what they wanted to say. I was then supplied with a long copy draft of what each message was. My job was to dissect each one, refine it, then edit it mercilessly. I also needed to think about how the individual video script would work as a standalone animation, and when edited together for a complete video.
Timings are crucial for video scripts. What you think will work, often extends well beyond your given time limit. This is where the writing process can get tricky. Maintaining interest and getting the message across in a concise way is key. Reading each video script aloud really helps here. While timing myself, I could allow for natural pauses, hear what sounded right, then edit accordingly.
Of course, the script for each video overran. The readback process after every edit was the key to getting the final script right. And with each script coming within the allotted time limit, the final animations communicated the Coombeshead Academy core values honestly and effectively.
To see each video, visit the Coombeshead Academy YouTube channel, or watch the complete video here:
Using video to market your business is fast becoming the norm. Before you have your promo video made, spare a thought for the script that goes with it. To make sure you make the most of your time-critical wording, get in touch today and let’s have a chat!
