The question of scripted versus unscripted comes up often in client conversations – you’re going to invest in video and you damn sure want to control the message that that video puts out there. Understandably. So, do you, the company, write the script? Do you “wing it”? Do you have a producer interview you, and plan out your answers to make sure everything you want to say is said, in the exact words that you want to say it?
I’m thinking about actors today, and actors having me thinking of the Oscar Wilde play, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” The dual nature of the word/name “earnest” leads to confusion, misdirection, and, naturally, being Oscar Wilde, hilarity, but the phrase The Importance of Being Earnest is exactly what this post is all about.
Actors are expensive people. Adding one to your video can increase your budget by thousands of dollars. Why are they so expensive? Because they’re worth it. Because a professional actor trains, practices, and perfects until his/her performance feels honest, true, and earnest every time. Because he/she knows how to make a script true to him/herself, and then speak someone else’s words with honesty.
Guess what? It ain’t easy. Even if you’ve written the script yourself, turning words on a page into an honest, an earnest dialogue with another person (i.e. a camera, a video audience) takes hard work, lots of practice, and many, many takes (burning many, many hours of production time.)
If your video works best as a scripted piece, work with a professional producer to hire and direct professional talent (on screen or voiceover). If your video works best with you in it, a talented producer will conduct an interview that shows you as your best, most honest, most earnest self. And that’s the self your prospects and clients will connect with, and the one they want to buy from. Hey, you’re really good at what you do! And you know your business! Sit back, relax, and just have a conversation.
