Methods of planning. Inverted pyramid

What is an inverted pyramid?

The Inverted Pyramid is a model used by journalists to describe an article structure in which the most important information is presented first.

The pyramid is broken down into three sections:

The ‘Lead’

When writing a script in the inverted pyramid style, the first section should address the most important information. If your audience was only going to watch the first few seconds of a film, you need to make sure they get all the key information straight away and understand what the film is about. The ‘Lead’ is designed to hook your audience into the film, giving them a complete idea of what your key message is, without going into massive detail.

For most films, this section should last no more than 60 seconds which is around 150 words of voiceover. Within that, you should be able to answer the six W’s as well – what, when, who, why, where and how.

The “Body”

The second part of an inverted pyramid style script is the ‘Body’. This is where you start to flesh out your script. Crucial information and details that expand upon the ‘Lead’ all go here. This is the meat of the video and where the bulk of your storytelling will be.

Having a powerful ‘Lead’ makes writing the ‘Body’ so much easier too. The key information that was promised in the ‘Lead’ should be expanded upon here. So split your ‘Body’ into several smaller sections. Each of these smaller sections can cover off a different key message, helping you stay focused and ensuring you cover off everything you mentioned in the ‘Lead’.

This makes structuring your script easier too. Having these smaller sections within the ‘Body’ means you can play with the order and see what structure works best from a narrative perspective.

Be bold – start each section with a strong opening sentence that catches the viewer’s out as well as covering a key message. You can then build on that for the remainder of the section and the writing will have a more natural flow to it.

The “Tail”

The final section in an inverted pyramid style script is the ‘Tail’. In journalism, where the style originated, this is where you’d put the least important content.

But video marketing is different, in fact, the content in the ‘Tail’ of your script is probably the most vital in the entire film – it’s the call to action.