During the storyboarding stage, the Lead Writer should begin outlining and drafting the script. The script’s tone, use of details and concepts, and more will vary by the audience, but here are some important things to keep in mind:

• The assignment’s big challenge. What’s especially challenging for students creating digital stories for the first time is getting the script to match the visuals (and to a slightly less important degree, the audio). This process will go more smoothly if the Artistic Director and Lead Writer work closely to create the storyboard.
• Keep it simple. The challenge is to communicate important and sometimes complex ideas in an accessible way. Oftentimes, what you write on paper sounds more complex on screen. Write, re-write, and edit. The last two ingredients — economy and pacing — are especially crucial here. As you write, speak the text aloud to yourself. The narrator will need to speak slowly, and so the script will be rather short. What are the important words you need, and what can be left out?
• Tell a story. A digital story script is different than writing an academic paper. The basics are the same: introduction, make claims and provide evidence, wrap it all up in a conclusion. But use the visuals and sounds to your advantage. How can script create and resolve tension? Tap into emotions?
• Watch examples. Watch examples of excellent stories from the homepage, and do a Google search for more inspiration. Remember that the storyboard and script should make use of the 8 key ingredients for a digital story.
• Unpolished is okay. The script for the storyboard is just a rough draft, so don’t worry about getting it very polished at this stage. As the you prepare the video itself, you might find that there are aspects of the storyboard that don’t quite work. At this point, the Technical Expert may find it necessary to work with the Lead Writer to revise the script.