Copywriting Style Writing Copy One-to-one communication Speaking - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Copywriting for the Electronic Media

Chapter 2 Copywriting Style

Writing Copy

• One-to-one communication

– Speaking to one person – Visualize your listener / viewer – Conversational style

Copy Appearance

• RADIO

– Music – Sound effects – Voices

• TV

– Visual (video) – Aural (audio)

Scripting

• Script – interprets the show idea into what

the viewer will actually see and hear

– Includes narration and dialog – Sound effects and music – Visual elements to be included

• (will be guided by Director’s vision)

Two column Format

Video

Shot of factory Man at desk working Crowd of People Graduation cap

Audio

Is your goal to work 9-5 in a boring job Or be the leader of a company that employs thousands and impacts the global economy? Well you know the only way that you could be successful is with hard work and a good education.

Storyboard

• A series of rough sketches of key points of a

project, that visually depicts the way that you (the writer / creator) envision the final

• production. Corresponding audio

information is added below each sketch.

Is your goal to work 9-5 in a boring job Or be the leader of a company that employs thousands and impacts the global economy? Well you know that the

• nly way that could really

happen is with hard work and a good education!

Radio

• SCRIPT FORMAT

MAN Radio copy must appeal to the mind WOMAN You can use different voices MAN You can use music….. MUSIC “JAZZ MAN” UP AND UNDER WOMAN You can even use sound effects… SFX CROWD CHEERING MAN (EXCITEDLY) You can sound excited (WHISPER) or quiet

Format

• Write on one side of page only
• Double space copy for ease of reading
• All SFX and MUSIC should be caps &

underlined

• Talent instructions ( ) & CAPS (YELL)
• Speakers names in CAPS
• Spoken copy in upper & lower case

Header

• Clients name: ____________
• Written by: ____________
• Date: ____________
• Length: ____________

All copy MUST be typed

Remember the VO Artists

• Avoid Abbreviations

– Exceptions (well know acronyms)

• Use contractions (keep it conversational)
• Avoid trite Expressions (page 22)
• Watch “SUPERLATIVES”
• Avoid Question lead-ins

– What is the answer is “NO”

MORE ON V/O

• Punctuation is important . , ? !
• Underline for effect
• Watch numbers

Odd/Even Pricing $99.95 vs. $100 Difficult to comprehend $ 89, 975 vs under $ 90,000

• Phone numbers (repeat often)
• Web addresses (be clear)

Phonetical Spelling

• Avoca
• Tamaqua
• Wilkes-Barre
• Kissimmee, Florida

WATCH YOUR ENGLISH

• Noun / Verb agreement
• Sentence Structure
• Break the rules for effect

– But do it on purpose

Re-WRITE

• Based on In-Class Exercise #1
• Jones Ace Hardware

– Re-Write your :30 Commercial

• Use correct radio script format
• Script w/ Music & SFX