Explainer Video Script Template

Preview

What is inside

• The six-beat structure behind most good explainers
• Words-per-second guide for 30, 60, 90 and 120 second films
• Blank two-column script pages (voice-over and visuals)
• A fully worked 60-second SaaS example
• A tightening checklist to cut a script by 20 percent

A taste of it

A script is written to be heard while the viewer sees something. Every line does two jobs: the words carry meaning, and the picture shows it. If the picture only repeats the words, one of them is wasted. The best explainers let the voice say what cannot be shown and let the visuals show what cannot be said. Because people listen at about two to three words a second and cannot re-read, a script has to be shorter, plainer and more repetitive in structure than a brochure. One idea per sentence. One scene per idea. No jargon you would not say to a friend.

Sections

1. 1How an explainer script differs from other writing
2. 2How long should the script be?
3. 3The six-beat structure
4. 4Before you write: five questions
5. 5Writing rules that save revisions
6. 6Blank script page
7. 7Worked example: 60-second SaaS explainer
8. 8Tightening checklist