Creating A Script For My Rewrite Video
Hi there! This post is part of a documentation project on how I wrote, scripted, narrated, scored, audio/video edited, and uploaded a rewrite video for the anime Demon Slayer. I detail my production process, and how my skills and principles can be applied elsewhere. Visit my landing page to see the rest of my process!
Creating My Script
I wanted to create an engaging story, but only include essential details. To optimize this approach, I needed my rewrite formatted as a script.
I reworded my rewrite as a story, refining it into a cleaner package. Stories can be broken down to content and presentation. The rewrite itself was the content, but it was clunky and unrefined. Rewriting it as a script optimized its presentation to its absolute best.
My “Script”
Traditional scripts have certain formats and parameters, but my project was a bit different. Rather than dialogue and screenplay, I only had narration. I basically just separated each episode into its own paragraph. Reading it like that worked just fine, but I know I can improve my methods in the future.
Writing As I Speak
I wrote like I spoke in order to benefit my narration, and my speaking flowed naturally. I didn’t worry about grammar, since writing in spoken word is different than professional writing. If my project was more in-depth, including things like dialogue, I would’ve further formatted my script to match the extra amount of content.
Room To Improve
With future projects like this, I’ll definitely improve my process. Breaking the episodes into scenes can help me narrate every scene with a fresh tone.
I hadn’t edited my footage yet, since I was waiting to narrate my script, but creating a rough cut with footage can give me a frame of reference for my scenes, resulting in better narration.
Writing For A Different Project
My script is purely narration. If I created a project with intricacies like dialogue, I would’ve written the script far differently. It would be a far lengthier project, and I’d write more descriptive and nuanced.
My Script In Hindsight
I’m a gifted writer, so rewording my rewrite as a story was fun and easy. Nonetheless, I gained valuable understanding of the process that I can take forward into future works.
Skills I Demonstrated
- Refining a product for optimal presentation
- Recognizing the distinction between content and presentation
- Recognizing different needs for different projects
- Acknowledging room for improvement, and planning for the future
Applying My Skills
The skills I demonstrated here are highly applicable across the board. Distinguishing between content and presentation is incredibly valuable in creating content and knowing how to best optimize it. Knowing the level of detail a project requires, as well as the specific needs for specific projects, is also a valuable skill to possess in content creation.
Once I’d written my script, it was time to narrate it.
Episode 1 Script
If you’re interested, here’s my script for Episode 1 of my video. I went ahead and formatted a bit for your viewing pleasure.
Episode 1: Cruelty. A boy carries his wounded sister through the snow, vowing to save her.
Flashing back, the boy, Tanjiro, says goodbye to his family, and goes to sell charcoal in town. The people greet him and ask for his help in various things, and he gladly obliges, and later as he heads home, Old Man Saburo insists he stay with him overnight for safety from Demons.
Inside, Tanjiro asks him about Demons, and as Saburo tells of bloodthirsty monsters, one attacks a town, and as he mentions mysterious swordsmen that hunt them, one appears and kills it. A crow flies to the swordsman, directing him north, and he sprints away through the night. Afterward, Tanjiro catches up with him about his family’s life since their dad died, then goes to sleep, pondering what he’s been told, but mostly disregards it as folklore.
Next morning, however, he arrives home, and finds his entire family dead, save for his younger sister Nezuko. He quickly carries her towards town, but she grows in size and attacks him, throwing them off a ledge. Tanjiro struggles against her as he calls her name, and she cries at her feral actions, but the swordsman arrives and grabs her.
Tanjiro begs for her life, and the man berates him, telling him that his human sister is gone, now a bloodthirsty Demon. Tanjiro swears he’ll find a way to turn his sister human, and the man angrily points out that he’s too weak to even fight him. He sees Tanjiro’s kindness, but tells him it won’t get him anywhere, and that strength is the only thing that will help him, and to spur him, he stabs Nezuko. Tanjiro attacks and the man knocks him out, but only barely dodges his ax he cleverly threw from cover. Seeing her brother, Nezuko escapes and defends him, but the man spares her and knocks her out, seeing something different about the siblings.
Tanjiro’s family appears to him, telling him to protect Nezuko, and he wakes up. The swordsman introduces himself as Giyu Tomioka, and tells Tanjiro to find his master, Sakonji Urokodaki, on Mount Sagiri, warning him to travel by day for safety, but to keep Nezuko away from direct sunlight that will kill her.
Giyu leaves, and the siblings return to their house, but seeing her bloodied family, Nezuko salivates heavily, crying at her own bloodlust. As she waits across the clearing, Tanjiro buries his family alone, and once he’s done, he fits his charcoal basket to be sealed from sunlight, checks that Nezuko can fit, and together, they set off.
