Script or no script?

[Select Gaming]

Hey guys,
just wondering what are the positives and negatives of using a script, but also whether you use them and do they work for you? When I am recording videos I often run out of things to say and the recorded video goes in the bin.

 

[daniel burgio]

You can always use an outline if it's a vlog or something. That way not everything you say is scripted and you know what to go off of.

 

[TYTD]

Scripting:
Pros -
*You remember everything you need to say because it's literally there in front of you
*you have a better idea of timings because you can read off the page which will help you get a better sense of how long your videos going to be.
*You can make it as detailed or as stripped back as you like. either write it all out or just have bullet points
Cons -
*If your not a confident reader you will sound like a robot...or worse; like you dont know what your talking about
*It can be very time consuming to sit and knock out a 2-3 page script and sometimes you can put all that effort in and still file it under "Bin" when you've finished
*sometimes what you write on paper will read fine but when spoken will sound awful (I've found I write "Film" a lot...and then when I say it its weird becasue I say it too much.

Not Scripting:
Pros-
*Its off the cuff so it'll sound more naturalistic if your not a good verbal reader
*it allows you to be a bit more sponteinious and you can take the video in whatever direction you like
*its quicker to do because theres little to no writing time involved

Cons -
*Your likely to forget where you are, umm and ahh your way through the video and forget important parts
*you run the risk of making your video less focussed as a result which could turn audiences off
*your video may end up overly long or super short because you either overexplain or worse under explain your subject.

Ultimatley some people have a gift for free speaking and some dont...I script my stuff because I regurgitate a lot of facts and it helps me remember the movie im talking about because I watch about 5-6 a week on average...I know some people who bullet point because they like to be able to free-flow around a subject and as long as they get through there bullet points there fine I'd say ultimatley its your call on what you want to do. if your a confident verbal reader then I'd say script. if you get fed up with writing or you dont think your channel would benefit from it; try it free style and see how you get on

 

[Heather White]

It depends on what type of video I’m filming. Most of my voice overs are scripted and some of my chats. I personally like to plan ahead and know exactly what I’m going to be talking about.

 

[Wrath of Kahan]

With a script, you can be more fluid in your speech (free from likes, uhhs, and uhms) and be able to orate better than just freeballing it. In my experience and see people who do videos without a script, only like 2% of them can successfully wing it. The rest tend to repeat themselves continuously or lose rhythm that can disinterest the viewers.

 

[Kevster]

I think it depends on what type of videos you do. For example, if you make comedy/skit videos, having a script could really help. And for informational videos, scripts are rather monumental and an absolute necessity as it would prevent you from babbling unnecessarily as well as presenting the information you want to present in the most concise and effective way possible, and that can't come out of someone who is being put on the spot (unless you're already a really good and experienced public speaker, I guess).

But for gaming videos, I would personally recommend against having a script. A lot of the appeal of the gaming videos usually comes from the spontaneity of your reactions, and it's hard to sound genuine if you already knew what was going to happen. And if your audience catches wind of it, they might not be too happy to find out that all your reactions have been pretty much faked.

Though, pre-planning an event or two could work. You wouldn't have to write an entire script, just come up with an interesting element or two. Specifically for chaos to happen at a specific time in the video in order to spice it up and grab the viewer's full attention back. It'd be executed through 'accidentally' messing up, 'accidentally' looking over a crucial detail (which leads to severe consequences), etc. Personally, I'm not sure how I feel about it, because a lot of the times, for me, YouTubers who have done it just comes off as dumb and I would just get frustrated over their incompetence (there have been quite a few, some bigger Youtubers included).

And of course, there's also a trend of YouTuber gamers deliberately skipping the tutorial to a game, fully knowing that they would most likely fail ("Who needs tutorials? I'm sure I'll do fine! This game can't be that hard!"), and that failed runs are usually one of the most entertaining ones to watch. Also not a fan of this 'technique' for the same reasons as the previous one. I get that it's meant to be entertaining, but a lot of the times I just find it excruciating to watch.

So, that said, make of that what you will. As someone mentioned, there's pros and cons to it. Do what you think is the best for you and what you think helps you create the best content possible.

 

[Studz McGee]

If you're gaming, I would go unscripted (unless its reviews or something that requires voicing over the game in post production) because part of the appeal is the LIVE commentary. They want to see your personality, not some personality you wrote ahead of time. Just spend more time in front of the camera to get comfortable with it. And if you can't talk alone so often, then bring a friend to color commentate or play with you. Makes things way easier, that's what I do and my friends add a lot of humor to the videos. That's just my input, though