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Film is a motion medium. So is television. Screenwriters focus on telling stories visually. Does writing for the eye differ in the realm of business and educational programming?
Well, for starters, many times your subject matter isn't inherently visual. How, for example, do you write a compelling video outlining the features and benefits of an intangible insurance product? What's the best way to show how a manufacturing process works when the process takes place inside a totally enclosed piece of machinery? What about a corporate video describing banking regulations? Such assignments test the visual imagination of the corporate media writer.
Synergy between sight and sound makes for optimal use of the medium. Within the confines of a motion picture screen, TV set or computer display-a linear media program consists of a continuous evolution of spatial relationships between camera and subject, coordinated with a sequence of audio events. So the first rule of thumb is always, always write narration with pictures in mind.
Determine The Function of Visuals
When faced with material that is not inherently visual, a good starting point is to define the function of visuals for the program. On the most literal level, the camera is used to show how a specific task is completed. In a training program on unloading liquid hydrogen, for instance, the process itself dictates your visuals.
To explain the inner workings of an internal combustion engine, the writer has more choices. This topic might be treated with computer animation, a sequence of still diagrams, or a cutaway scale model. In this case, the function of your visuals is illustration.
Metaphors, analogies and similes are useful ways of making abstract subjects more vivid. In a sales training program I once wrote, for instance, handling buyer objections is likened to a track and field event. Runners who train with hurdles (buyer objections) learn to take those hurdles without breaking stride. It becomes second nature. Likewise, the salesperson who practices overcoming sales resistance and objections will take them in stride when before a prospect. The analogy in this program was carried out through a studio set design featuring hurdles and made strategic use of track and field racing footage.
So, begin by asking: what function will visuals perform for the viewing audience? Are you striving for reality and credibility? Then documentary footage is often the best visual style. Are you treating a subject humorously? Then whimsical animation may suite your purpose better. Illustrating a process? Consider creating a functional animation or graphic build. Telling the company's history for an orientation video? Then sepia toned photographs and period artwork may be the solution.
The important point is to have your visual approach well thought out before you begin writing. Otherwise, you may write narration that fails to work synergistically with visuals. Writing for the eye is as important in corporate media writing as it is for the aspiring motion picture writer.
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