Digital Director's Rough guide to making a scripted video.

Or how to have a complete breakdown in six months...

Last year some friends of mine came and asked if they could borrow some of my video equipment for a project they wanted to film. On and off over the next few weeks I'd see lights, tripod, a dolly or cables go out in the morning in a van full of excited people and return late at night, returned by a team of weary souls. Six months later I was invited to a party in a pub where they'd set up televisions everywhere, all borrowed of course (mine was balanced precariously over the fruit machine.). Their finished video lasted all of twelve minutes, was nowhere near professional quality and filled me with envy. I'd forgotten the pride which comes from watching your own unpaid hard work on screen. There's something special about having friends round, slipping a DVDo into the player saying "here's what I made with some mates" and then waiting for the praise to flow.

Documentaries are all very well but they tend to be made with small teams and unless the subject interests the audience, they only are good for one showing. There’s something about a scripted drama or comedy which excites the imagination. A good story can grab the audience and force them to suspend belief for a while. In a way fiction on screen is a means to move the viewer to laugh, scream, get angry or cry by manipulating their emotions. That’s a lot of power to have!