Script Writing Overview

At Safety Provisions, we create scripts for the media team to create video trainings. There are three types of scripts you might work with:

• Full-Size Scripts
• One-principle Scripts
• Safety Basics Scripts

On the script writing team, you will first be given a specific topic to write a script on. This script topic will correlate with an online course we have already written. It would be helpful to read through the online course, as well as conduct any additional research, before you begin to write the video script.

Example: If you were assigned to write a micro script for MEWPs, it would be beneficial to first read through the MEWP online course and kit materials.

For each script you write, the tone should be more informal and conversational than our typical written online courses. Write scripts as if you were speaking them. The level of informality may vary between script formats. Collaborate with your team to ensure you are using the right tone.

General Process

After you are given your topic, you will first write the full-size script. This script should be comprehensive and should be able to stand on its own without needing additional information.

After the voice-over or talking-head script is completed, you will create smaller, one-principle scripts based on the full-size script. These will highlight a specific safety topic or task that an employee would need to complete. You may need to do additional research for the topic, as it may be more specific and task-oriented than the full-size script.

Example: If the MEWP full-size script briefly covered slip knots, you could then write a one-principle script that lists the proper steps to tie a slip knot, as well as emphasize its importance.

Full-Size Scripts

Each topic will either have a voice-over script or a talking-head script.

A talking-head script is spoken by a person seen in the video. Conversely, a voice-over script is used as narration over video segments without a person seen in the video. 

The voice-over and talking-head video trainings do the same thing as our online courses. They are videos that comprehensively cover a topic and the safety components associated with it. They can be used to certify or show compliance with the topic.

One-Principle Scripts

Principle scripts are when we highlight a specific principle found in the larger full-size training. This is normally how to perform a specific task or inspection.

Principle scripts should be about 3 to 5 minutes. This means they will be anywhere from 260 words to 700 words. They present specific, task-oriented information.

Safety Basics Scripts

Safety Basics are a very short summary of what might be covered in our full-size script. They highlight important key principles.

The Media team writes these scripts and then sends them over to us to edit. When editing, we need to make sure the information is accurate and that the topics they highlight are appropriate, in addition to editing for comprehension and grammar.

Word Count

Since the full-size videos are intended for certification or compliance, we do not limit those word counts as we want to thoroughly cover all the necessary topics. However, when writing one-principle scripts, we typically want those to be around 5 minutes long.

The average person can speak an average of 130 – 180 words per minute. However, the video will include animations and pauses in narration. Use this conversion to help you know approximately how much you should write:

130 words x length of video (in minutes) = word count for video

• 1 minute = 130 words
• 2 minutes = 260 words
• 3 minutes = 390 words