What a Script Won’t Tell You
- roos jacky
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
At some point in almost every briefing, the question comes up: “Can we write it out beforehand?” It’s understandable. A script feels safe. It gives structure, control, and the comfort of knowing exactly what will be said. But in practice, that script is often the first thing that disconnects a viewer from the story.
Because let’s be honest. When was the last time you truly felt what someone was saying when you could hear they were reading lines?
Organisations invest in video to move people. To engage donors, inspire teams, or make the work of a community visible. But the moment a story is locked into perfect sentences, something essential disappears. The words may be right, but the feeling is gone.
A script says what you want to hear, not what’s really there
Scripts are usually about control. About getting the “right” answers. But real stories are less tidy. They are human, imperfect, and sometimes unexpected. And that is exactly why people connect to them.
We see it again and again with NGOs, schools, and companies. As soon as someone starts delivering a rehearsed line, the energy drops. The voice flattens. The moment disappears. What remains is a message that works on paper, but not in the heart.
During a shoot with an NGO, we asked a project lead why her work mattered to her. She started with a flawless explanation about “community impact” and “sustainable change.” It sounded good. But nothing moved. Then we asked her to talk about yesterday. About one girl she had met. Everything shifted. Her expression. Her tone. Her presence. Suddenly, you wanted to listen.
Why we keep relying on scripts
For many organisations, letting things unfold feels risky. What if someone says the wrong thing? What if it’s incomplete? What if it doesn’t sound polished?
So we reach for control. Approved quotes. Carefully shaped language. But that kind of communication tries to convince rather than connect.
Letting go of the script is not chaos. It’s trust
Working without a script does not mean showing up unprepared. It means creating the conditions where something real can happen. It means helping people reach their own words instead of giving them ours.
Our preparation happens through listening. Through understanding context. Through knowing which questions to ask, and when to stay quiet. That is not a script. That is direction with space.
Real sentences sound different
Compare these two lines:
“We strengthen vulnerable youth through education and mentorship.”“She knows now that she isn’t stupid. That she just needed a chance.”
The first one is correct. The second one does something.
That second sentence came from a conversation that seemed ordinary until someone shared something personal. That’s where the story lives. Not in perfectly phrased mission statements, but in what people say when they feel seen and heard.
Stories don’t want control. They want space
A script can be useful as a framework or a starting point. But when it replaces the truth, the story loses its power. People sense the difference immediately. They know when something is lived and when it is performed.
The moments that stay with us are rarely planned. They are the pauses. The breath before a sentence. A smile that appears unexpectedly. A hand resting on a shoulder without being asked.
If you want your story to be more than just told, if you want it to be felt, it starts with leaving space for what is real.
At Story To Video, we help organisations work with real stories instead of scripts. With trust instead of control. And with films that stay honest because they stay human.
If you’d like to explore that together, feel free to reach out.
📍 Based in Uganda and the Netherlands
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