When editing your script, ensure everything is correct, not just spelling and grammar. I once referred to the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University as the Horned Toads. Why? I can’t tell you. I was helping the sports department on a Saturday morning. I knew they were the Horned Frogs. I wrote Horned Toads. The sports anchor caught the error and correctly said, “Horned Frogs” on air. He confronted me later. I don’t blame him. His credibility was on the line. If he had said “Horned Toads,” the video would have gone viral and eroded his reputation.
I let “Horned Toads” make it into his final copy because I was working faster than I was working smart. Since that day, I have taken time with each script to ensure my facts are correct. In a twenty-five-second story, there aren’t a lot of facts to get wrong. You review the story’s who, when, where, what, and how. There is no need to worry about why when doing this. Just pause and consider each of those facts. Let me show you:
“A gunman is in custody after killing five people in Southeast Portland tonight. Portland Police said 23-year-old John Doe opened fire at the Sunshine Convenience Store on Southeast 87th just before nine p-m. Three other people were wounded. When police arrived, Doe turned himself in without further incident. He’s now being held at Multnomah County Jail. The area near the crime scene will remain closed to traffic. Police estimate it will reopen around three a-m.“
- Who: John Doe, Portland Police
- When: 9pm, 3am
- Where: Southeast Portland, Sunshine Convenience, SE 87th, Multnomah County Jail
- What: 5 killed, 3 wounded
- How: Opened fire
I’m not saying to grab five highlighters and mark up the hard copy. You don’t have time for that. Instead, I’m asking that during a reread, pause and consider these kinds of key facts to ensure they’re accurate. If you can’t quite remember if one is accurate, double-check it.
This entire task should take about a minute for a standard VO (voice-over). You will find factual errors. We all make them. Trust me when I say you want to grab the frog by the horn before it gets you. Or was it a toad?
Among the Reads 