Online Roving Ranger Video Production

2. The Perfect Script

The perfect script starts with three things: research, research, and more research. When selecting your ORR ranger, it is best to select someone who already has a wealth of knowledge related to the resources of your park. Whatever you do, be sure you hire a good researcher. That way even if your managers decide they want videos on subjects that are not in your interpreter’s repertoire, you will still be able to do an exemplary job. Your interpreter will be able to do the necessary research.

One thing that everyone needs to be aware of is that it is impractical to attempt to develop an interpretive theme in a 2-minute video. So these videos are not intended to be interpretive but rather short educational offerings. They are, in fact, intended to be an online version of an informal interpretive contact.

Many parks assign their interpretive park rangers to roving duty in busier locations in the park to help answer questions and provide informal interpretation. Many of us who have done such roving duty believe that it can be a very effective way to communicate one on one with park visitors. I am certain that many of the people I contacted on roves felt a more personal connection with me and the park resources when compared with visitors who attended larger more formal programs. My goal in creating Inside Yellowstone was to bring the same sort of personalized feel to our informal web videos, our Online Roving Ranger videos.

When a web visitor watches an Online Roving Ranger video, they should feel as if the ranger is talking directly to them. For that reason, the ranger looks directly into the lens rather than off to the side as is standard practice in documentary films. The script needs to be written with that in mind. It needs to seem informal and conversational despite the fact that it is really a one way communication. Actual roving rangers are usually answering a question or pointing out an interesting park feature or process. The ranger writing the script should imagine that they were just asked a question and they are using the opportunity to provide information related to park features, processes and safety issues. Opportunities to incorporate resource preservation comments should never be overlooked.

This publication is intended to provide information related to the technicalities of producing Online Roving Ranger Videos. Very little time will be spent in an attempt to teach techniques for writing for the spoken word. With luck you will find an interpreter for whom such writing comes naturally. Just remember, if it doesn’t sound informal and conversational it won’t make a good ORR script.

When the script is written, require your ranger to time it as they read the script at the speed it will be delivered. ORR videos should be between 90 seconds and 2-minutes in length. It is difficult to create complete succinct videos in such a short time. It is very likely that your ranger-writer will try to convince you to give them more time. DON’T DO IT! If you want you videos to be watched, keep them short.

If you want to develop a theme, don’t do ORR videos but rather string together several 2-minute videos as if they were stops on a walk. That way the videos could build on one another allowing for the development of a theme. You should still keep each stop under 2-minutes in length.

I will ask the rangers involved in writing Inside Yellowstone videos if they are interested in offering any advice. If so, I will add their comments here in the future.

Back to Chapter 1 | Chapter Index | On to Chapter 3

Tom Cawley
Online Roving Ranger Video Production
tom@rovingranger.com