Script format for older editors

Use this guide only if your editor uses the older script format. The current Video Story uses the current script guide.

The two formats treat plain text differently. In this older format, plain text is spoken. Do not use it for a new Video Story script.

Write narration

For a narration-only project, write plain text with no speaker labels:

The lamp goes out. Mira looks towards the gate.

Write dialogue

When character dialogue is on, put the speaker name, a colon, and the words on one line:

The lamp goes out.
 
Mira: Bring the lantern.
Jon: I have it.
 
Narrator: They walk towards the gate.

• Keep full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, and semicolons out of the name.
• Quotation marks around the words are optional.
• A line without a label right after dialogue continues the same speaker. A blank line ends the turn.
• Use Narrator: to switch back to narration inside a dialogue script.
• Check the character and voice assignments before you generate.

Add a visual beat

If the editor supports visual beats, put the instruction on its own line:

[visual beat: Mira opens the gate | 4s]

• This asks for a silent visual moment.
• Keep the square brackets, the vertical bar, and the number of seconds.
• Describe what should appear on screen.
• A visual beat is not the same as a pause inside speech.

Read the editor's warnings. An incomplete tag or an ordinary direction can end up in the spoken text.

Add a pause inside speech

If the editor supports break tags, place one where you want the pause:

Wait <break time="1.0s" /> until the light returns.

Keep the double quotes and the closing slash. The pause is a request, not an exact length. Listen to the generated speech before you finish the video.