The document discusses common factors among different media forms and provides tips for writing effective scripts for various media. It notes that while media like radio, film, television, and multimedia have differences, they all require scripts to provide information in appropriate formats. It then offers guidelines for writing scripts, such as understanding the audience, using clear and concise language, prioritizing information over style, and avoiding discriminatory language.

1. Getting Started

2. What are the common factors that exist among all
media forms, despite their basic differences?

3. Multimedia, Internet and Web page scripts have not
been formalized in the same was as scripts for other
electronic media

4. Media Differences
• Each of the electronic media requires that
scripts provide information in different
formats to best serve the people using the
scripts.

5. Radio scripts serve voices
• Secondarily, they serve the director and production operator.

6. Film scripts provide the basic blueprint
of the production.

7. Television and video scripts must balance serving both
the aural and visual needs to be met by the script.
• Accurate narration
• Detailed visuals
• Timing information

8. Multimedia scripts must cover the
same areas as a video script.

9. Basic Writing Skills
• Write for the audience’s comprehension
levels; know your audience!

10. Reading to be heard
• Media writing must be written to be read out
loud by narrators, actors, and newscasters.
• Written material that is intended only for the
eyes of a reader may be much more
complicated than material to be read by a
performer.

11. Use the active voice

12. Avoid like-sounding words
• To, too, two
• Their, there, they’re
• Your you’re

13. Clear, concise, nontechnical language

14. Style comes after information

15. Information First!

16. Avoid the language of discrimination

17. Be sure to…
• Research your intended audience
• Understand the power of your words
• Write simple sentence structures using well-
known, understood vocabulary
• Create scripts that your director and crew will
understand easily
• Avoid plagiarism and protect your own work

18. Image sources
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoff_mv/206329508/#/photos/geoff_mv/206329508/lightbox/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/2573762303/#/photos/yourdon/2573762303/lightbox/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/rock_creek/2668823205/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/gemmabou/4882118212/#/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/shannonkringen/2282265286/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/ekai/457004988/#/photos/ekai/457004988/lightbox/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/spencerfinnley/3105682577/#/photos/spencerfinnley/3105682577/lightbox/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/joodi/4839557400/#/photos/joodi/4839557400/lightbox/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/45848665/#/photos/jurvetson/45848665/lightbox/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/45848665/#/photos/jurvetson/45848665/lightbox/