UofT Scarborough Campus Library has crafted a useful guide to help students in developing their own videos. If you are planning to approach the TED Talk Style assignment, explore Introduction to Videos .  

Videos can be a highly effective way of connecting ideas and expressing concepts in an engaging way. There are four main steps to producing a video;  

• Storyboarding 

• Scripting 

• Recording 

• Editing 

Some important things to consider when preparing to create a video or film; 

• What format will your video take? Consider the file format, your storage system, and whether it can store that format. 

• Will you need to film scenes with a camera? Will you need audio or camera equipment to create your desired scenes? 

• Or will you record a video through Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint? 

• Will you include images, clips, or audio from external sources? Do you know where to get open access content for reuse? 

• How long do you intend to work on the project, and how long should your video be? 

• Who’s your target audience? 

Scripting makes up the second half of pre-production. Like storyboarding, scripting allows you to plan out what text, spoken, or audible content needs to be recorded or added to your video, scene to scene. Consult your project guidelines or course learning objectives to determine what content is most important to your video and consider who your target audience is. What information might be most relevant to emphasize?  

A good script can also help you determine a consistent tone and level of formality for your video. Creating a single, consistent vision of your video or film is crucial to making engaging content, and is especially important when working in a group, so that everyone is aware of the primary goals you’d like to meet with your video. Pairing your script with your storyboard should provide you with a clear idea of how to record and organize your video during the Production and Post-production phases. 

Check out the University of Guelph's  6 Principles of Scriptwriting:

1. Identify your story 

1. Identify the central problem or question that your script seeks to resolve 

2. What is the hook that will draw the audience in? 

2. Determine the plot points 

1. How do you build tension? 

2. How do you guide the story to a natural conclusion? 

3. What are your main arguments and what evidence are you using to support each argument 

3. Organize and structure with intention 

1. How will you interweave media resources such as images, video clips, music, interviews, and sound recordings into your script? 

2. How can you turn the broad ideas from your rough outline into detailed text? 

3. Which sections might you want to leave unscripted to allow for more spontaneity and improvisation? 

4. Words should flow 

1. Practice reading your script out loud. Are any sentences difficult to say? Are you using vocabulary that sounds inappropriate for the purpose of the digital object? 

2. Tag the script with emotion cues to vary your tone appropriately as you're speaking (E.g., fast, and excited, solemn, curious, etc.) 

5. Feedback is best practice 

1. Are the main points of your digital object clear to potential audiences? 

• Read your script aloud to a friend and ask them to identify the main points made in the script. 

• Ask for feedback on specific things like audience engagement, tone, emotion and pacing. 

• Book a writing appointment at the library. 

6. Create a world for your audience 

1. What strategies will you implement to engage your audience throughout the video? 

2. How can you leverage the medium you're working in to create an immersive experience for your audience? 

• E.g., Add ambience with sound effects (setting the scene with street sounds, creating a relaxed mood with light piano)