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How to Write a TV Commercial Script

Thursday, March 26, 2009
Related Tags: commercial | script | television | column | product
 

Instructions

  • Step 1:
    Format your television commercial script in two columns. The left column will be labeled in all caps and underlined as "Video," and the right column, formatted the same way, will be labeled "Audio." What you see in the commercial is written in the "Video" column in all caps. What you hear is written under the "Audio" column in upper/lower case. Separate each shot in the script with a blank line between them. You can use just about any commercial scriptwriting software to format a television commercial script easily, or even Microsoft Word.
  • Step 2:
    Focus the content of your commercial on the product you're trying to sell. The finished script, which will be about one page long, will result in a commercial that lasts about 30 seconds. You have a very short time to sell the product. Every image and sound you write should be aimed at doing this.
  • Step 3:
    Think in terms of short film. Commercials are just that. A television commercial should have a beginning, a middle and an end. It should tell a short story about the product you're writing about or show how the public uses the product in question. Always keep your target audience in mind, and gear everything in your television commercial script for them.
  • Step 4:
    Describe everything in the script actively. Use strong verbs, and keep the adjectives light. You're not writing a novel. The end result of the script is a television commercial the public will view. Visual writing is the key to a successful commercial. Write so a director "sees" the product the way you want the public to see it.

Resources


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