CopyDiva

These days, there are many ways to create a demo or presentation (Flash, Camtasia Studios, others). But, no matter what method you use — or where you post it (YouTube, Hulu, company website, etc), the most important part of the process is creating the storyboard and script that tells the story. This really helps you focus on the specifics of what you want to accomplish.

But where do you begin?

General principles: keep the demo or presentation short

The best multimedia presentations are succinct and get to the point quickly. No matter how fascinating your CEO, product managers or anyone else at your company thinks a product or service is, people tend to tune out after three to five minutes of a presentation. It just gets too long winded. Be adamant with your team about that timeframe, otherwise you’re wasting this valuable tool. You gain more time if you’re writing a tutorial script. Tutorial viewers are typically seeking out information or trying to learn how to use something. They will be more motivated to listen and watch longer.

First things first: get all the details
Before you begin, make sure you understand the goal of the presentation. Is it to interest potential leads at a key point in the sales cycle? Eye candy at a trade show to get people into a booth? A tool to present compelling or interactive information on a web site? A simplified demonstration of a complex process?
How much technical or industry knowledge will viewers know about the information presented? This is key — it will help you target the script to the right audience.

Will there be a voice-over script? Sometimes, particularly at trade shows, it doesn’t make sense to have a voice-over, because it won’t be heard. Perhaps a music bed would work better, or no sound at all. In that case, you’re writing the story of what’s happening on-screen, the storyboard. What’s on-screen needs to explain everything and stand on its own, without a voice-over to explain animations or other visuals.

Create an outline
Even if you typically do not outline a writing assignment, this is the type of creative project where it really helps. The outline doesn’t need to be detailed. It only needs to organize the major components:

1. What needs to be covered? For example, if you are showing any processes — such as the steps you take to drive a car — remember in your outline to break out every step in the process so you won’t leave any out.
2. Will you need transitions? If your presentation covers more than one narrow topic (more than one product or process), or if there is some kind of introduction — say a brief corporate branding intro — make sure your outline includes transitions so you remember to write them into the script.

Writing the script
Whether you have voice-over or not, you need a screen-by-screen template, a tool you’ll use to write the script and storyboard. Creating one is really easy. Here’s what I use:

Now, here’s what goes into each cell:

Screen #: When the programmer builds the presentation, he or she will need to know what graphics and animation go on each screen. Numbering screens makes it easier to keep track of each screen. It also helps the recording engineer (if you have a voice-over). By having each section of the script numbered, the engineer can record each screen’s-worth separately. When the track gets added to the final presentation, it’s already conveniently recorded by screen. All the programmer has to do is plop the voice-over into the right screen and make adjustments for animation timings.

Script: Use these cells to write the screen-by-screen story of a voice-over.

As you are writing, keep in mind what you think should happen on-screen as the script plays. I generally write out the entire script before I go back and add the visuals and on-screen words. However, if I think of something while I am writing, I’ll jot down some quick notes in the “visuals” cell to remind myself of the idea.

What’s going on on-screen?: Here’s where the storyboard, or visual story gets played out. You’ll probably want to brainstorm an overall look-and-feel with others in your company (or a creative director), and also to discuss any kind of limitations imposed by the budget (photos, video, complex animations and the like). Knowing the limitations, figure out what will work well with the script.

The storyboard should reflect the voice-over script. There should be enough change and movement to keep the viewer’s eye interested, but not so much that it distracts from the overall message.

Highlighted words on-screen: if this presentation has voice-over, the words on-screen provide reinforcement of the voice-over. Sometimes, the words will just be suggestions as to what you want the viewer to walk away with. They also act to reconnect the viewer if they stop paying attention to the voice-over.

If there is no voice-over script, the on-screen words could be more involved. They may need to explain what is going on visually or set a mood for what you want the viewer to walk away with. Make sure to keep the phrases short and easy to digest.

Tips for writing

Write out anything that is not an everyday abbreviation. This will prevent confusion for the
voice-over artist as well as the viewer.

Examples of everyday abbreviations:

• Time: just write 7:00 am, you don’t need to write out 7 o’clock pm
• Web and email addresses: most people understand that @ means at

Abbreviations that are known in your client’s industry will not be known by the voice-over artist — and may not necessarily be known by the viewer. If you must use a particularly long and awkward grouping of words that is typically acronymized, follow the first-use rule. At first use, the script should include all the words, followed by the acronym.

Example: the Big Nasty Technical Explanation, or BNTE

Time it
Get yourself a timer. You will need to read the script aloud to make sure you aren’t going over the allotted time. You may also need to time individual screens if you think they might run too long, don’t have enough animation, have too many words, etc.

Trim, edit, make it sharp
Read the script aloud to catch any difficult or awkward phrasings. Trim as much fat during your editing process and get to the essence of what you need to say  — quickly. This keeps the pace moving and makes for a more successful presentation.

What do you want the viewer to do next?

Finally, what is the viewer supposed to do at the end of the presentation? I can’t tell you how often this becomes an afterthought. Don’t let that happen to your project! This is marketing or at least customer interaction. Send them further down the sales process. Tell them to sign up for something. Get their feedback. Give them more support. Just give them an idea to do something!
True, sometimes, a call to action may not be appropriate, however, most of the time it is. Here are some possible calls to action that are effective and give you a way to track the success of you demo:

• Go to our website to sign up for… (have an onscreen click-through)
• Contact your sales representative today by calling … or visit our website (on-screen click-through to get in touch with a sales rep)
• (for a tutorial) to view the tutorial again, click the restart button. You can also download other helpful documentation from our website at www.xxx.com (have a link that goes directly to the documentation page)

Last chance for changes
If there is time in the production schedule, it’s helpful to run through the voice-over script with the completed screens. You will catch any dead spots — places where the script drones on and on but nothing happens on-screen. Fix these now, either by adding action on-screen or eliminating some of the script. Once you record, it is a major hassle (and can sound really awful) to make changes without re-recording. The cadence of the voice-over becomes stilted when you edit out words and even whole sentences.

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