Script Writing �for Mobile: �

A Hands-On Workshop �& Crit Room

Stephanie Pau, The Museum of Modern Art Erica Gangsei, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Hello.

Stephanie Pau Associate Educator, Interpretation & Research MoMA, New York

Erica Gangsei Manager of Interpretive Media SFMOMA

Why are you thinking of taking content-production in-house? a.  I think I can save $ over an existing solution b.  I have no budget to hire outside vendors c.  I would like more creative control  d.  I want ownership of content e.  I want to build up in-house skills f.  All of the above 

Let’s Warm Up!

Part I:�Tips for Scripting

Before You Begin… •  CONSIDER CONTEXT & SETTING  

o  Is audio or mobile the appropriate medium in this instance?  o  Is the exhibit already media-heavy? Will there be a lot of ambient

noise?  •  WHAT OTHER GALLERY RESOURCES WILL BE PROVIDED?

o  Check with Curatorial/ Education about labels, wall texts, and other in-gallery didactics/interpretation  o  Some redundancy is OK, but try to stagger resources and diversify

content 

•  DECIDE ON THE PRIMARY AUDIENCE

o  Who do you want to target?

Before You Begin… •  CHOOSE A MIX OF OBJECTS  

o  Baffling objects that require interpretation

o  “Sticky” objects that visitors naturally want to know more about

o  Stories that demand to be told •  AVOID & PREVENT “BOTTLENECKS”  

o  Meet around the exhibit model, whenever possible o  Think about skipping objects in high-congestion zones; spread content

evenly •  AVOID INFORMATION OVERLOAD!    

o  What’s the total running time (TRT)? o  20-25 stops / 30-45 minutes TRT / 20-25% of objects on display

Step 1 • Content Audit

Step 2 •  Interviews

(Actualities)

Step 3 • Review

Audio & Transcripts

Step 4 •  Scripting

Step 5 •  Script

Review

Step 6 •  Audio

Review & Evaluation

•  Take stock of what other interpretive resources will be provided •  Dig into your institutional archives

o  What media does your museum already own? o  Library & Archives o  Oral history initiatives o  Documentation of public lectures & programs

o  Repurpose existing videos and audio

Step 1: Do a Content Audit

o  Research external catalogues

o  Sound Archives o  Library of Congress Recorded Sound Reference Center o  California Library of Natural Sounds o  Macaulay Library (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) o  Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution o  Skowhegan Lecture Archives ….and many more

o  Historical Societies, Libraries, Archives, Documentarians & other Museums 

Step 1: Do a Content Audit

Step 2: Interviews (Actualities) Choose your subject(s) wisely

o  Will you interview experts, artists, writers, community members, storytellers, visitors, or…?

o  Are they fluent speakers? Do you have a sense of their energy,

charisma, or natural storytelling ability? 

o  If you have time and resources to record multiple perspectives, do it

o  Consider broadening your notion of "expertise" 

Step 2: Interviews (Actualities)

o  Do your homework beforehand, but don’t act like you already know the answers

o  Don’t craft questions that answer themselves o  Avoid questions that elicit YES/NO answers o  Remind interviewees to rephrase the question

Q: “What did you eat for breakfast this morning?” A: “This morning I ate oatmeal, bananas, and tea.”

o  Keep your interview session targeted

§  Ask about topics most relevant to the visitor §  Ask about specific objects or topics

“INTERVIEWS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE INTERVIEWER”

Step 2: Interviews (Actualities) •  Transcribe with Timecode 

•  A time code is a time stamp inserted periodically in a transcript, normally

[HH:MM:SS]

•  Helps you quickly locate words and phrases in the corresponding audio

•  Preserve stutters, ums, long pauses, laughter, verbal ticks, etc. so you can be aware of them while scripting and editing; also preserves the character of one’s voice

•  Very handy for licensing content

Step 3: Review Audio & Transcripts

•  Listen to check the audio quality •  Use quotes for emphasis, flow and drama; not just for factoids   •  If an interviewee says something with passion, find a way to use it   •  Let good quotes stand on their own; narration should frame, not

paraphrase However...

•  At times your narrator can say in one sentence what

your interviewee says in three; replace meandering comments with concise narration.

Step 4: Scripting

The Basics Building Blocks Narrator The voice that frames the story Actuality The subject or interviewee; unscripted Ambient sound ("Buzztrack") Environmental sound, sound effects (sfx), score

Classic "NPR" (American radio doc formula) Narrator                        _____          ______     (20%) Actuality            _____          ______                 (70%) Ambient sound           ______                            (10%) The formula is functional and familiar, and  there's something to that...

...But what other approaches are possible? Narrator                                                              (__%) Actuality                                                             (__%) Ambient sound                                                  (__%) Listen...   Can you map the structure in this clip? What makes a program like Radiolab so compelling?

Does ambient sound = background? In only 1-2 seconds, ambient sound can: •  Wordlessly evoke a mood.  •  Situate or transport the listener in time and space •  Serve as an important source of information, or accentuate a point �So…be sure to insert music and audio cues as you write   

“WORDS AREN’T THE ONLY TOOLS FOR TELLING A GOOD STORY”

Writing for the Ear •  Script as you would normally

speak o  No parenthetical clauses o  One thought per sentence;

one breath per sentence o  Use contractions o  Active, not passive voice

§  Write in an order that answers "Who did what?"

o  Short, simple sentences •  As you write, read your

words aloud  o  Can you follow the logic? o  Would a narrator be able to

read it in one breath?

"IF YOU WOULDN'T SAY IT, DON’T WRITE IT"

Writing into Actualities •  Create the illusion of a natural dialogue between narrator

and interview clip •  The interviewee should appear to finish the narrator's

thought

NARRATOR: Several staffers caught a good look at the moon rock. Jane Doe is with the museum's education department. She says the sight nearly scared her to death. �

� ACTUALITY: Well, I saw the thing comin’ out of the sky, straight for my Macbook. All these pieces cracked off and when they landed, I could see they were stray ideas....

Beware “Moon Rocks”! •  "Moon Rocks”

"Alien" visitors from another script or story

•  Consider moving non-essential information into sublayers          (But beware excessive sublayers) •  Find an alternate platform for far out "Moon Rock" segments:         Podcast segments, blog posts, videos or audio slideshows, etc.

“ONE THEME PER SCRIPT, ONE THOUGHT PER SENTENCE.”

Length Alert! Shoot for 1-1.5 minutes; 2 minutes max 200 words = 90 seconds recorded Beware “Museum fatigue” 

Length Alert! •  Limit your script to "just in time"

information What's most relevant to understand here and now?

•  Move non-essential information

into a sublayer (but sparingly)   •  And if you still can't tell the story in

1-2 minutes, how else could the story be told?

•  Use image tracks sparingly, and only if they really add value

•  Videos should be short ( < 1 minute)

DO DON’T Begin with what can be seen, and keep bringing the eye back to the work; encourage close looking

Undermine the act of seeing

Leave room for interpretation Over-determine or shut out the possibility of other readings

Conduct new interviews; delve into the archives (e.g. repositories like Archives of American Art; documentaries; other museums; public programs)

Tell the story only through scripted narration

Base your script around the actuality Predetermine what the story should be; ignore actualities that don’t support your thesis

Introduce multiple voices and perspectives. If they conflict, frame it as a debate

Suggest that there is a single authority on the subject

Allow for random access and meandering Script a single, linear path (“forced march”)

Step 5: Script Review

•  Have a colleague read it aloud as you listen without benefit of the

script •  Time your "walkthrough" reading to roughly estimate length •  Listen while gazing at a photo of the object (or better yet, the real

thing) •  Does what you hear ring true with what you see?

Step 6: Audio Review & Evaluation •  Review audio on the same headphones or equipment as your

visitors •  Listen on an open day in the galleries, preferably in front of the

work o  Audio seems longer standing on your feet o  Environmental noise may be more than you had anticipated o  People also tend to wander as they listen

•  Listen to your visitors

o  You don't need a lot of money to do surveys or observation o  Leave a comment book 

Part II:�Group Crit

Let’s Give�Constructive �

Feedback.

Clark Art Institute�Williamstown, MA, USA

Case study: Artwork-specific audio guide stops

Average running time: 2.5-3 minutes per stop (as scripted) Audience: General Format: Random-access / Artwork-specific Delivery method: Initially, keypad audio device. Plans to eventually port to touchscreen devices with multimedia & layering capabilities

#435. A Street in Venice, c. 1880-82 John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925) Oil on canvas

#567. Cloud Study, c. 1821-22 John Constable (English, 1776-1837) Oil on cream laid paper, mounted on canvas

#435.

Part III:�Your Turn! �

Hands-On Scriptwriting�

Hands-On Scriptwriting STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR INTERVIEW SUBJECT

o  Divide into teams of two STEP 2: CONDUCT A 1-3 MINUTE INTERVIEW

o  Every object has a story. Take turns interviewing each other about an item from your purse or bag, or something you are wearing such as clothing or jewelry

o  Record using an iPhone, computer, or one of the provided devices o  Practice active listening o  Avoid YES/NO questions and observations posing as questions

STEP 3: TRANSCRIBE o  Transcribe your interview with (rough) timecode

• AUDIENCE: What kind of visitor will be listening to your content?

• SETTING: What other gallery resources will be provided?   • THE BASICS

o  NARRATION: The voice that frames the story o  ACTUALITY: The interview, or media from your content audit o  SFX: Music or ambient sound to set a tone or dramatize a point

• WRITE FOR THE EAR o  Script as you would normally speak o  One theme per script, one thought per sentence o  As you write, read your words aloud

• LENGTH ALERT! 200 words = approx. 90 seconds

Hands-On Scriptwriting

  • WHAT’S WORKING?

o  Is the script an appropriate length? o  Is it written for the ear? o  Are there Moon Rocks?

• HOW WAS THE PROCESS?

o  Any take-aways from the interview and scripting process? o  How would you apply this to your own museum?

CRIT TIME!

QUESTIONS?