Layout for a Script Delivered to a Narrator: How Video Directors Can Make It Editable

One way to align the picture and the read is to deliver the script as a working sheet that can be checked against the video, rather than as prose meant only to be read. With a text-only script, the narrator must guess which words belong over which pictures and how quickly numbers should be read. If picture, timecode, spoken text, proper names, and direction notes are separated from the start, the editor can also track replacements after recording.

Separate the columns first

Whether you use Word or a spreadsheet, fix the following columns instead of packing everything into one row.

• Segment: start and end time such as 00:00:00:00, or provisional seconds
• Picture: the cut, caption, product name, or other item synchronized with the voice
• Read copy: only the words actually spoken
• Delivery notes: proper names, numbers, accents, and desired pauses
• Review: whether it has been approved internally or may change later

Do not put “narration,” “supers,” and “speech within the picture” in the same cell. When the spoken copy is clear, the editor can make decisions about silent sections and BGM more easily. Conversely, a script that merely puts picture descriptions in parentheses leaves it unclear whether the parenthetical text should be read or is a direction.

As an explanatory example, divide one product-introduction segment as follows.

This is not a table that guarantees the final duration. The rough-cut duration and the pauses needed for the read may differ, so identify the segment as its current placement.

Separate read copy from the change history

When revisions arrive, boldface or color alone does not preserve why something changed. Put a version in the filename and add a change field at the beginning. For example, product_vp_narration_03_pre-final.docx contains the project, use, version, and status. Do not mix “pre-final,” “recording,” and “replacement” statuses.

Use this opening field immediately:

Project:
Purpose / publication destination:
Script version:
Changes in this version:
Unconfirmed wording:
Preferred delivery format:
Reviewer:

Proper-name pronunciations may also be kept in a separate terminology sheet. Keep company names, product names, people’s names, alphabetic abbreviations, and number readings in one place and make them referable from the script. Leaving multiple pronunciations in the body divides decisions during recording.

Pre-delivery checklist

• [ ] Spoken copy and directions are visually distinct
• [ ] The rough-cut segments or assumed duration are included
• [ ] Pronunciations for proper names and numbers are marked confirmed or pending
• [ ] Caption-only text is not mixed into the narration
• [ ] The script version and changed sections remain in the filename and opening fields
• [ ] Purpose, destination, requested delivery date, and delivery format are shared

For current guidance on corporate-video narration pricing, delivery timing, and revision conditions, see the corporate video narration request page. If the copy is not yet settled, separate the confirmed range from the unresolved sections before consulting. If you want to confirm recording conditions, include the script and rough-cut status when you contact us.

For readable font size, line spacing, and ruby text, also see script fonts, line spacing, and ruby text. Adjust legibility together with the placement of information that must be checked against the video.

Questions received after sharing should not end as chat replies only; reflect them in the next script version. Separate what the recipient can confirm from what the client must decide, and keep one updated version as the source of truth.