Write the Script (Chromebook Mini-Documentary)

One you have your sound bites refined you are ready to write the first draft of your mini-documentary script.

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Copy the Template

Make a copy of the A/V Script Google Docs Template. and make sure you save it in your Google Drive News project folder.

To change the save location click on the Folder and navigate to your project folder.

For the Name use the format News-TITLE-Script-NAME and substitute one or two words for TITLE that summarize what your approved story is about, and substitute your first and last names for NAMES. Make sure you do not use any special characters in the folder title, except for hyphens between each word.
For example: News-Education-Changes-Script-Jim-Shoes

When everything is correct click the OK button.

You will use the copy of the template to write your script.

Start by filling in the the header information. Replace TITLE with a short phrase that describes your story. Make the Draft and Page numbers #1. Enter the date replacing MM with the two digit month, DD with the two digit day, and YY with the two digit year. Replace NAME with your first and last name. Here is an example:

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Transcribe the Refined Sound Bites

Your script needs an accurate transcription of all of the sound bites used in your story. Instead of typing all of the words yourself, you may use a phone and your Chromebook to automate much of the process.

On your phone make sure you have the Google Drive app.

Open Google Drive and navigate to your project recordings folder. Double-click the answers1-edited.mp3 file to open it.

If it starts playing, stop it and return it to the beginning.

On your Chromebook open the Google Docs app.

Start a new Blank document.

Name the document Transcript.

Click the Move icon

Navigate to your project folder then click the Move here button.

Open the Tools menu and choose Voice Typing.

Click the microphone icon.

When asked to Use your microphone click the Allow button.

Start speaking to test the Voice Typing function.

Click the microphone icon to stop Voice Typing and delete the text.

With your sound bite ready to play on your phone, click the Google Doc microphone icon on your Chromebook. When it turns red, hold your phone’s speaker near your Chromebook microphone and start playing back your Sound Bite. You should see the words being typed on your Chromebook.

When the sound bite has finished playing, click the microphone icon to stop the typing.

Playback the answers1-edited.mp3 recording from your phone again and review the transcription in your Google Doc. Make any necessary corrections, including punctuation.

When the transcription is exactly what was said, type the names of each person speaking just before they started talking.

When you complete the first transcript, repeat the process using each of your refined answers recordings. Once you have all of your sound bites transcribed, you are ready to add them to your script.

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Add Sound Bites to Your Script

Open your Google Doc Script and resize the window so it fills the right-side of your screen.

Open your Transcript and drag the tab so it fills the left-side of your screen. Adjust your Google Doc script so you see the Audio column.

Return to your transcript and select your first group of sound bites, including the names. Use [ctrl+C] to copy the selection, then go to your script and click in the second row in the audio column. Click [ctrl+V] to paste the selection.

You are leaving the first row for narration that you will write later. Return to your transcript and copy the next group of sound bites and names. Skip the third row of the audio column in your script, click in the fourth row and paste Paste this one in the third row of the audio column of your script.

Repeat the process until you have copied each group of sound bites and pasted them into your script. If you run out of rows in your script, [alt+click] in the bottom row and choose Insert row below.

If you want to add more than one row, hold shift and select multiple rows. Use [alt-click] to click in the last row and choose Insert rows below.

After you have placed all of your refined sound bites, review what is being said and how it helps tell a story. The rows left blank are for you to write a narrative that will provide details and tie your sound bites together.

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Write the Reporter Track

The parts of your finished script that you will narrate is known as the Reporter Track. In the first row of the audio column change [NAME] to your name, or Reporter, whichever you prefer.

Copy the changed text and paste it in each blank audio column row.

If you end up with extra rows in your script, [alt+click] in the last row and choose Delete row.

Return to the first audio column row and type the first lines of your reporter track. Write something that will introduce your mini-documentary topic. This is similar to an essay thesis statement and you may have something from your pre-production document that will help.

As you would write an essay or a report, write narrative in each of the blank audio column rows that will bridge the sound bites and add more details about your story. Any facts you learned from your interviews that were not used as sound bites may come in helpful.

After your script’s last sound bite you need to write something that serves as a conclusion to your story, similar to the concluding statement in an essay. Following your concluding statement add this sentence: From LOCATION this is YOUR NAME reporting for Logan TV. If we were in our classroom, the LOCATION would be James Logan High School in Union City, California. You may use that or something else appropriate. For example, “my home in Union City, California.”

Once you have written all of your narration, review how it works with the sound bites. If necessary, re-arrange sound bites and make changes to the narration. When you are certain everything works well to tell your story, make sure all spelling and punctuation is correct.

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Describe Visuals

In your script’s video column you need to briefly describe what we will see. In the first video row describe what b-roll photo will be on the screen while you read your first lines of narration. For each video row next to a person speaking, type that person’s name and their title. If they are a student, their title would be Class of YEAR with YEAR being the year they graduate from Logan. For family members, their title may be their relationship, such as mother, grandfather, sister, etc.

For each video row that is next to part of your narration, indicate a b-roll image. Also include your name where a photo of you will appear at the end of the story.

After you have completed the video and audio columns of your script, make sure all spelling, punctation and your narration grammar is correct.

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Get Your Script Approved

With your script the best it can be, send an email message to the teacher with the subject NEWS SCRIPT. In the body of the message type your first and last name, your class period, and a shared link to your Google Doc script. After your script is reviewed you may need to make some changes before you can record your reporter track.

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Sample Script

Here is an example of a script for a story about how education has changed since shelter-in-place began.