What does an online broadcast script look like?
The online broadcast script is more of a technical document. First of all, it is needed by the team organizing the stream,” says studio head Denis Zolotov. Such a script resembles an editing sheet, which specifies the following items:
- timing — we specify how long a certain block of the broadcast takes;
- frame — we describe what happens in the frame during the block. This could be a studio participant's speech, a video conference with a remote speaker, a presentation, etc.
- audio (music, noise) — we indicate the tracks or sounds that will play during the block;
- caption — we indicate the participants' positions, or what to write on the title screen;
- comments — what happens off-screen. Here we leave instructions for the director and engineers, suggesting what to do in a force majeure situation.
Script for the Director and Engineer
The online broadcast script is an important document for the team organizing the stream. On a standard broadcast, the team includes a director, an engineer, and operators.
During pre-production, the script helps in preparing templates. We design each broadcast with graphics: banners, screensavers, transitions, and create 'multi-frames' — special fields that can contain several speakers at once, or a speaker together with a presentation.
When preparing graphics, we rely not only on the client's guidelines but also on the script. For some broadcasts, 'multi-frames' are not needed, and for others, just one splash screen is enough.
The director is responsible for the final product. The director's workspace is the frame, and the task is to fill it with useful and aesthetically pleasing content. So it's important for him to know how many people will be in the frame, which shots to choose, which details to show, and which to avoid. He gets this information from the script.
The engineer works on the broadcast to connect participants who will be present remotely: via Zoom, MS Teams, or another calling platform.
The script is needed by the engineer to understand when to connect a participant and how much time is allotted to each. Sometimes speakers speak one after another — as was the case at the broadcast of the medical conference — and the engineer has to work with several accounts at once.
When is a script not needed?
A script is not needed for standard conferences where participants speak one after another. They may have presentations. Then we additionally take the video signal from the device on which it is running, and the speaker switches the presentation themselves. In this case, the organizers write a time list, the order of speakers, and their names with positions to add captions.
A script is not required if we are going to broadcast a concert. The director needs a list of performers and to be present at the dress rehearsal and during the sound check. After that, the director can correlate the camera placement on the site and the dynamics of switching shots, and understand what instructions to give to the operators during the broadcast.
When is it impossible to do without a script?
A script is mandatory if you are organizing an online event with many interactive elements. An example of such a broadcast is Sber's presentation in 2020, which included infographics, video stories, real-time background replacement, and much more.
At OCS we conducted a broadcast in the format of 'Evening Urgant'. We aired pre-recorded segments and biography videos. Also, there were several speakers in the frame at once. Each time the number of people changed — then the operators chose different shots, and the director reorganized the editing phrases.
Who writes the script?
The script is usually written by the client using a template. It can be downloaded via the button below.
Our studio can write the script. We give the idea to a scriptwriter, they communicate with the client, provide drafts, approve edits, and deliver the final text.
