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The script is the backbone of every great video production. If you get it right, you'll engage audiences, hit your goals, and earn a sweet ROI.
But writing video scripts can be tricky... Sometimes, you're staring at a blank page. Other times, you're sweating bullets to get your point across. You could find yourself battling writer's block or just be unable to tune into that conversational tone.
Overcoming these obstacles is straightforward when you generate a ChatGPT script as your first draft.
We've outlined the following information to get you started fast, including a short step-by-step tutorial (Hint: It's about much more than just writing prompts into OpenAI's chat.)
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is what experts call an "advanced large language model," like a super-smart computer program that understands and uses human language. OpenAI built it on a GPT architecture, which stands for:
- Generative: GPT can "generate" new pieces of text. For example, if you give it a story's start, it can keep going and make up the rest.
- Pre-trained: This language model was trained to learn from many books, websites, and other types of writing. The "pre-training" helped it learn all sorts of things about language, like grammar and different ways people might say something.
- Transformer: This is the method it uses to handle words and sentences. It simultaneously pays attention to the different parts of a sentence to better understand its context and meaning. That's how it makes good guesses about what words might come next or how to answer your question.
You interact with this natural language processing tool by providing prompts/questions. It processes your inputs, generates helpful responses, and can adapt the desired tone and style based on your instructions.
While ChatGPT is particularly popular and known by more than 40% of US adults, it's not the only generative AI script writer. Alternatives include Gemini (by Google, previously Bard), Claude, Perplexity AI, and Chatsonic.
How to generate a video script in ChatGPT
It's easy to generate content for your video scripts using ChatGPT. All you have to do is write a "prompt" or provide instructions and click generate. There are two different ways to do this:
- Through direct interaction with ChatGPT, straight into your web browser
- Through a third-party tool with ChatGPT integration
The second option streamlines the video creation process because it lets you make a better script with less effort. When you use a third-party powerful tool that works with ChatGPT, you get more features than just using ChatGPT on its own. These tools can ask you for more details at the start, help format your script correctly, and even let you work with others and export your script quickly.
Option 1: Direct interaction with ChatGPT
To start directly with ChatGPT, sign up at https://chatgpt.com/ for a free OpenAI account. Free accounts use an older language processing model (GPT 3) but will still produce a good result. You can upgrade to GPT4 for new features and more advanced interactions.
After you sign in for the first time, a few pop-ups will tell you what to expect from your ChatGPT version and how the research release works. You'll also see the chat window, with some suggested tasks and a small box at the bottom where you can message ChatGPT to write a video script.
You can begin by asking ChatGPT for help with something straightforward. Your idea can be as simple as "Write a script for a 3-minute video on cloud-based solutions for small businesses."
To improve the quality of your results, give GPT more detailed instructions that include voice, topic, and goals. For example, a more detailed prompt might be, "Write a script for a 3-minute video aimed at tech startups. The video's main idea should be how to leverage artificial intelligence in customer service. Use an informative tone and include statistics on how AI can reduce response times and improve customer satisfaction. End with a call to action encouraging viewers to integrate AI tools into their service protocols."
Option 2: Using third-party tools with ChatGPT integration
Third-party video creation options like Synthesia or content creation tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and Writesonic integrate with ChatGPT but add proprietary instructions to produce a higher-quality result in less time.
Third-party tools also provide templates and advanced video editing features to turn your scripts into full explainer videos with visuals and narration. They typically have a clean interface with only a few pop-ups to guide you through the process, ensuring a smooth experience from start to finish. And they effectively serve as an advanced script writer, improving the quality and efficiency of your video production workflow.
So, option #2 is great if you're looking for a more comprehensive solution that takes you from script writing to video production with minimal fuss and a little bit of fun, like in the example below.
How to generate a perfect script with Synthesia
Creating the right video script on the first try can be challenging. But with AI tools like Synthesia, it's much more manageable.
Synthesia is a third-party AI video generator that integrates with ChatGPT and simplifies the writing process. It refines the scripting, letting you skip the multiple iterations you'd normally do when working directly with ChatGPT.
Its "Generate video with AI" function writes a video script for you with ChatGPT and breaks it down scene by scene with visuals. It uses one of the built-in 60+ pre-designed video templates, with AI avatars (digital doubles of real actors) and voices suitable for your script.
Want to go from general instructions to a complete video in minutes? Follow these five simple steps. 👇
Step 1: Create a new video
Log into your Synthesia account in the web browser and click the New video button at the top right corner of your screen.
At this stage, you'll see three options, and you must choose the one that says "Generate video with AI."
Step 2: Select a template
Now that you've activated the option to generate your video using AI, you can select a video template from the Template drop-down menu.
Step 3: Provide the basic script details
After you've selected the template and before it begins writing the script, you must provide context about your topic and target audience.
Step 4: Add extra details
Make your prompt more robust to get even better results by including details relevant to your video goals.
Setting parameters correctly and adding more details about what you want helps Synthesia understand better and create a script that fits your needs and resonates with your target audience.
Press the "+ Add more" button to add more details than the ones shown in the editor.
Step 5: Hit the 'Generate video' button
Once you hit this button, you can sit back and relax while the tool generates the script for you and breaks it into video scenes.
If you need to make any changes, simply modify the input parameters and regenerate the script in minutes.
Synthesia's editor allows you to make final tweaks to the script. Here, the editing process can involve adjusting video backgrounds, changing templates, and even selecting different music options.
Remember the limitations of ChatGPT video scriptwriting
Like with many other AI tools, ChatGPT's two biggest issues are information accuracy and bias. The scripts you produce will rely exclusively on the setting parameters, meaning the info you give it in your prompt and the data sets used to train ChatGPT.
It's why you'll always see this message in the app, right under the chat bar: "ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info."
One easy way to avoid accuracy and bias issues is to give ChatGPT better background information when you generate scripts. The right prompt will ensure your scripts are relevant and tailored for successful marketing campaigns.
Detailed prompts will also help you avoid the other three limitations below and any potential shortcomings in the training data.
- Lack of industry-specific expertise. With limited specialized knowledge, your video script might sound generic. This can be a drawback when you need detailed content that covers jargon or complex industry-specific details.
- Inability to incorporate real-time data. Generated scripts won't include recent events or trends. This can be a significant drawback in fast-moving industries like technology or finance, where updates and innovations occur rapidly, and outdated information can affect your content's relevance.
- Creative limitations and contextual misunderstandings. Chat GPT is still learning the art of conversation and might miss the finer points like humor, sarcasm, or that special touch. Only a human writer can grasp the subtleties of the desired tone, style, and emotion.
6 Tricks to help you write better video scripts with ChatGPT
ChatGPT doesn't just randomly toss words together — it carefully constructs sentences based on patterns it has learned from a vast amount of text. But it's up to you to make sure it can also grasp the nuances that will make your video script engaging and unique through specific and detailed ChatGPT prompts.
The following script-writing tips will show you how to give clear and precise guidance. In other words, you'll discover how to write the right prompt to bridge the gap between ChatGPT's general AI capabilities and your specific creative vision, as well as how to develop compelling characters.
1. Provide detailed instructions in your prompt
The more you tell ChatGPT about what you need, the better — that's how AI works. Share everything, like who the video is for, what it's about, your style, and what messages you want to include. Be as clear and detailed as possible, and your script will be more likely to match what you're imagining.
2. Give examples of great video scripts
When you stumble across a video that perfectly captures the vibe you're looking for, use it as a launching pad for your video creation. So, tell ChatGPT to create something similar. You won't have that video's script, but you can copy its transcript and tell ChatGPT what the video is about, what story it tells, and how, including the unspoken details.
If it's a YouTube video, copy-paste its transcript into ChatGPT. If the transcript is unavailable, use tools like Otter.ai or Descript to extract it and help GPT fully understand what the video is about.
3. Use iterative feedback
Once you get the first draft from ChatGPT, check it out and see what needs to be changed. You might have to tweak the prompt to clarify the desired tone, add more information, change how something is said, or even change the style of the video. Keep adjusting your ChatGPT prompts until the answer feels just right.
4. Incorporate keywords
To make your video pop on search engines or social media marketing campaigns, include some important keywords when you tell ChatGPT what you need. These keywords will make your script relevant and easier to discover.
5. Blend artificial intelligence and human creativity
Let ChatGPT help you come up with the basic ideas and a rough draft, but then add your personal touches. Things like jokes, emotional bits, or creative flair are usually best added by people.
6. Regularly update your prompts
Effective ChatGPT prompts are crucial, but you won't get them right from the start. You might get new ideas or feedback as you work on your project. Make sure to update your instructions to ChatGPT so it can keep helping you as things change. Updates keep the script fresh and consistent with what you need.
Ready to generate a video script in the next few minutes?
You can spend hours trying to iterate prompts for ChatGPT to write you a solid script, OR you can use a dedicated AI tool that does the hard work for you and requires minimal edits. The latter will also have ChatGPT write it, but it will do it better and faster.
Don't take our word for it.
Use this free AI script generator demo and see for yourself.
Frequently asked questions
