Writing for
Industrial Film & Video

The Other Side of the Dolly Tracks

by Tory Salvia
published in scr(i)pt magazine Sep-Oct 1997

OK, you=ve just banged out your latest and greatest feature film screenplay, sent it off to your high powered, fast pitching L.A. agent, and settled back in your favorite stuffed chair. As you sip a well earned cappuccino, comforting waves of creative relief wash over your psyche C another 120 polished pages saved to your back-up disk. All is right with the world.

But then you start to hear a voice C maybe it=s from your inner-self, maybe it=s from your significant other C Have you seen the checking account balance, lately? There=s not enough in there to pay this month=s fitness club dues, never mind the car payment and those other niceties, like the utilities and the groceries@. What is a screenplay writer to do between Hollywood royalty checks?

Well, for those of us who work the other side of the dolly tracks C that=s the industrial part of town C the answer to keeping the cupboard from going bare is the perennial AIndy@ or AIndustrial@ script. Just what is an AIndustrial@ you ask? Simply put, its any video or film not made for the theatrical market. It could be a corporate video announcing a new sales strategy to the sales force, a government video explaining the benefits of a health program to healthcare workers, an association video informing members of additional services, or a Amarketing@ or Aproposal@ video to pitch, sell, or persuade.

In the wake of the information revolution and the new global economy, much of the Industrial script market has gone high tech as corporations, governments, and associations hone their marketing, information, and training videos to reach an increasingly sophisticated audience. Today, the overwhelming majority of video and films produced in the United States are for non-theatrical release. That=s a large market in constant search of fresh ideas to pitch a company=s product, convince government and military leaders to spend money on a project, or deliver just-in-time training to a diverse workforce. So, as a Hollywood screenwriter, what do you need to know and do to tap into this alternative revenue stream?

First, let=s focus on what you already know. For the most part, the conventions, tricks, and techniques you build into a screenplay for Hollywood also apply to non-theatrical scripts C with some interpretation. For example, a good storyline is still the best way to capture and maintain audience attention. But more than likely, the plot will revolve around a product or a process rather than a personality.

In a recent proposal video I scripted for a major electronics manufacturer, the hero was a computerized dispatch console C the type that police and hospitals use to direct squad cars and ambulances to crime scenes and accidents. The company had reconfigured the console and was marketing it to the Air Force as a means of streamlining the routing of cargo aircraft to military bases and hot spots around the globe. To kick off their proposal, the client wanted a fast paced, four minute video that showed the product interacting in a military environment. To meet the client=s goal, I developed a storyline that integrated test footage of the console at an Air Force command center with stock footage of military aircraft on tactical and humanitarian relief missions. The script asked the audience to suspend belief (the Air Force knew the system was not operational) and accept a story that illustrated how the product could improve and standardize aircraft routing for typical Air Force missions. The story was pure fiction C based on reality.

Frequently I use Aforeshadowing@ as a technique to prepare the audience for the eventual disclosure of a product=s capability. For example, for an information video about managed care targeted at health plan administrators, I introduced the value of portable computers and remote computing early in the script. Later, when a district rep pays a visit to a remote client, whips out a laptop and connects to a mainframe to update premiums, the audience accepts the new technology and is ready to appreciate its benefits.

Many non-theatrical scripts also use professional actors to deliver the program=s message. So knowing how to write tight, believable dialogue is an important asset. Sometimes, the dialogue is voiced by an on-camera spokesperson who acts as the program guide. In an eight part training series for the U.S. Postal Service, I needed a way to present an analogy that would set the theme for each module. I also had to find an easy way to compress a ton of information. The answer was an L.A. actor with great presentation skills. His lively, on-camera presence enabled me to deliver content in an interesting way as he interacted with the Astars@ of our showC complex mail processing machinery and computer screens.

Sometimes the best way to explain a product=s benefits or illustrate a process is through a role play. Often, this calls for using actors to deliver dialogueCjust like in the movies. In a recent video I directed for a government agency, the Astar@ was a career planning form that employees filled out each year and discussed with their supervisor. The client originally wanted long bites of narration voiced over employees filling out the form and the supervisor reviewing the completed document. Luckily, I was able to convince the client that a dialogue exchange would be a much more interesting and effective way to deliver the information. This approach also provided character development and even conflict between employees competing for advancement (maybe there=s a germ of a screenplay here?). The result was interesting personal interactionCsort of a soap opera about career moves.

The subject matter of an industrial is often the biggest challenge to scripting an interesting program. Stories that revolve around form processing, the inner workings of mail sorting machinery, or the manipulation of a large government database don=t quite provide the same thematic elements that make for a promising Hollywood vehicle. But always remember, event though the product, service, or process you have to write about may be boring, you are not. Your client has sought you out because they need fresh ideas and fresh approaches to present their wares. So, to counteract the Aboredom@ factor inherent in many industrial topics, you really need to stir the creative juices and let it all hang out during concept development. What you are looking for is a Ashtick,@ some creative, funny, captivating visualization in which to weave the program=s topic. Here=s an example

Prior to starting a scripting project, I attended a lecture about the topicCa gigantic medical database for the military services. The lecturer dutifully presented the facts, and I guess if you=re into such things, the topic has its interesting moments. However, the audience was not a bunch of database nerds. This was just another of many topics with which they needed to become familiar. The original script concept was the Afacts Mam, just the facts,@ in other words, a boring video to replace the boring lecture. There was plenty of stock footage available to visualize patient treatment and medical tests. A day or two of new photography would capture data entry at computer terminals and help operators on headsets. Then we could top this boring opus off with some colorful charts and 2-D animation touting the database=s inherent structural beauty. It=s easy to go with such an approach. With enough digital video effects (DVEs) and fancy graphics, even the blandest script can turn into a professionally polished, boring videoCa program that might not get the client promoted but certainly won=t ger her fired. Of course, such a program won=t do much for the audience either. Your job, as scriptwriter, is to fight for something betterC much better.

Enter the shtick. During the lecture I attended, I noticed that the class perked up when the presenter talked about the future of the database, its sexy new interface, and other glitzy high tech features to come. H=m, perhaps the high tech angle was the shtick I was looking for. If I could work the viewer into the shtick, that would also be a plus. The eventual result of my brainstorming was a tongue-in-cheek, virtual reality briefing where a medical administrator receives an almost too real look at the database and its many splendid features. The script called for professional actors to play a klutzy administrator wowed by technology who is selected by a secretive briefer to test out her new virtual briefing machine. The administrator wears a real virtual reality helmet and glove while the briefer controls his experience via a laptop computer. The setting is a mysteriously lit room with a lot of flashing lights. Once the administrator is in Avirtual mode,@ a narrator presents information about the database over stock footage, new scenes, and animationCbut the its all seen through the eyes of the administrator with comments from him and the briefer. In between segments, we return to the mysterious setting where the two kibitz about database features, then the administrator selects another database topic form his virtual reality menu. At the end of the 12 minute program, the administrator is really excited about working with the database. As he departs, he turns back for a last look at the virtual briefer and sees only an ordinary briefing room, devoid of the blinking lights and high tech gadgets.

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