What is a Script Writer?

Quick answer: A script writer (or screenwriter) writes the scripted text for a video production: the dialogue, the narration, the on-screen text, the structure of scenes. In B2B corporate production specifically, the role overlaps with content strategy and brand voice work. The role is distinct from a copywriter (who writes ad copy, web copy, and short-form marketing text) and a storyboard artist (who visualizes scripts). Day rates for an experienced corporate video script writer in Western Europe range from 400 to 1,500 EUR per day, with most projects charged as flat fees.

What a corporate video script writer actually does

A working script writer is responsible for understanding the production brief, target audience, and deliverable format, building the narrative structure for the video (whether explainer, case study, brand film, training, or webinar), drafting the voice over, on-screen text, and any dialogue or interview question structure, revising through multiple rounds with the producer or client, ensuring the script fits the target length when read aloud (a 200-word script becomes roughly 90 seconds of audio), accounting for the visual treatment (writing for what will be shown, not just what will be said), and writing in the brand's voice rather than the writer's own voice.

B2B corporate script writing is distinct from feature film, commercial, or fiction writing. It is closer to journalism or content strategy. The writer is translating business value into watchable narrative without compromising either side.

Common B2B video script types

Explainer scripts

Scripts that explain a product, service, or concept in 60 to 180 seconds. Tight, conversational, lots of "you" language. The script must front-load the value proposition because most viewers stop watching in the first 10 seconds.

Case study scripts

The customer story format. Typically 2 to 5 minutes. Structures around a problem, the solution, the result. Often built from interview transcripts rather than written from scratch.

Brand film scripts

Longer-form (3 to 10 minutes) storytelling about the brand, mission, vision, or culture. Higher production value, more narrative ambition.

Training and e-learning scripts

Module-based educational scripts, often very long-form (60+ minutes broken into 5 to 15 minute modules). Specific instructional design considerations.

Pharma webinar scripts

KOL presentation scripts with MLR-cleared messaging. Strict adherence to indication-specific language, fair balance, and compliance requirements.

Product launch scripts

Keynote-style presentations and product demo narration. High-stakes brand moments where every line is scrutinized by marketing, legal, and product teams.

Conference and event scripts

Opening teasers, conference housekeeping, transition VO. Short, functional, brand-aligned.

Internal communications scripts

CEO town hall scripts, employee announcement videos, organizational change videos. Often quick turnaround.

Script writer versus copywriter versus content strategist

These three roles overlap but are different.

The copywriter writes ad copy, web copy, email copy, and short-form marketing text. They are specialists in direct response and brand voice but typically not in long-form video scripts.

The script writer specializes in writing for video. They understand pacing, narration timing, and the interplay of script and visual.

The content strategist plans content programs, ICP and audience strategy, content calendars. They may or may not write the actual scripts.

For B2B corporate video work, the same person often handles all three roles on small productions. On larger productions, they are separate.

Day rates and project fees

Script writers usually charge by the project rather than the day.

• Short explainer script (60 to 90 seconds): 500 to 2,500 EUR in Western Europe
• Case study script (2 to 5 minutes): 800 to 3,500 EUR
• Brand film script (3 to 10 minutes): 1,500 to 8,000 EUR
• Training course script (60+ minutes): 5,000 to 25,000 EUR for full curriculum
• Pharma webinar script: 2,000 to 6,000 EUR, plus MLR revision rounds
• Product launch keynote script: 3,000 to 12,000 EUR for full event narrative

Day rates for ongoing script writing (when a writer is embedded with a client team) typically run 400 to 1,500 EUR per day in Western Europe.

What separates good script writers from bad

• Brand voice fluency: writing in the client's voice, not the writer's own.
• Audience awareness: knowing what HCPs need versus what CMOs need versus what software developers need.
• Pacing for video: writing for a script that will be read aloud, not read silently on a page.
• Visual thinking: writing what can be shown, not just what can be said.
• Revision tolerance: corporate scripts go through 4 to 12 revision rounds. Good writers accept this without ego.
• Domain literacy: writers who understand the industry (pharma, fintech, cybersecurity, manufacturing) write better than writers who do not.
• Compliance awareness: for pharma and regulated sectors, writers who understand the framework save weeks of MLR rework.

How to brief a script writer

The brief should include the deliverable format and target length, the audience (with specifics: HCP audience, C-suite, IT decision makers, employees), the key messages and information that must be conveyed, the brand voice reference (existing scripts, brand guidelines, reference videos), the visual treatment direction (what will be shown alongside the script), the timeline (typically 2 to 4 weeks for a first draft plus revision rounds), any compliance requirements (especially for pharma and financial services), and any reference content (existing case studies, product pages, technical documentation).

Brief the writer before the visual treatment is locked. The best videos come from script and visual treatment being developed together, not one then the other.

Get a script writer for your next production

Get Camera Crew has been writing scripts for B2B corporate video for 38 years across more than 45 countries. Our writers have produced explainer scripts, case studies, brand films, training curricula, and pharma webinar scripts for clients including AWS, Kaspersky, AstraZeneca, and Alcon.

To discuss your script writing needs, request a proposal or download our Corporate Video Cost Guide.