The document provides guidance for museums on developing scripted audio content for mobile tours. It discusses best practices for content audits, conducting interviews, reviewing audio transcripts, script writing, and evaluating finished audio. Museum staff are guided through each step, with tips on choosing interview subjects, writing for the ear, and maintaining a concise length. The workshop concludes with groups critiquing sample scripts and doing a hands-on activity where participants interview each other and write a script about an everyday object.

1. Script Writing !
for Mobile: !
A Hands-On Workshop !
& Crit Room
Stephanie Pau, The Museum of
Modern Art
Erica Gangsei, San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art

2. Hello.
Stephanie Pau
Associate Educator, Interpretation &
Research
MoMA, New York
Erica Gangsei
Manager of Interpretive Media
SFMOMA

3. Why are you thinking of taking content-
production in-house?
a. I think I can save $ over an existing solution
b. I have no budget to hire outside vendors
c. I would like more creative control
d. I want ownership of content
e. I want to build up in-house skills
f. All of the above

4. Let’s Warm Up!

5. Part I:!
Tips for Scripting

6. Before You Begin…
• CONSIDER CONTEXT & SETTING
o Is audio or mobile the appropriate medium in this instance?
o Is the exhibit already media-heavy? Will there be a lot of ambient
noise?
• WHAT OTHER GALLERY RESOURCES WILL BE PROVIDED?
o Check with Curatorial/ Education about labels, wall texts, and other
in-gallery didactics/interpretation
o Some redundancy is OK, but try to stagger resources and diversify
content
• DECIDE ON THE PRIMARY AUDIENCE
o Who do you want to target?

7. Before You Begin…
• CHOOSE A MIX OF OBJECTS
o Baffling objects that require interpretation
o Sticky objects that visitors naturally want to know more about
o Stories that demand to be told
• AVOID & PREVENT BOTTLENECKS
o Meet around the exhibit model, whenever possible
o Think about skipping objects in high-congestion zones; spread content
evenly
• AVOID INFORMATION OVERLOAD!
o What’s the total running time (TRT)?
o 20-25 stops / 30-45 minutes TRT / 20-25% of objects on display

8. Step 1
• Content Audit
Step 2
• Interviews
(Actualities)
Step 3
• Review
Audio &
Transcripts
Step 4
• Scripting
Step 5
• Script
Review
Step 6
• Audio
Review &
Evaluation

9. • Take stock of what other interpretive resources will be provided
• Dig into your institutional archives
o What media does your museum already own?
o Library & Archives
o Oral history initiatives
o Documentation of public lectures & programs
o Repurpose existing videos and audio
Step 1: Do a Content Audit

10. o Research external catalogues
o Sound Archives
o Library of Congress Recorded Sound Reference Center
o California Library of Natural Sounds
o Macaulay Library (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
o Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
o Skowhegan Lecture Archives
….and many more
o Historical Societies, Libraries, Archives, Documentarians &
other Museums
Step 1: Do a Content Audit

11. Step 2: Interviews (Actualities)
Choose your subject(s) wisely
o Will you interview experts, artists, writers, community members,
storytellers, visitors, or…?
o Are they fluent speakers? Do you have a sense of their energy,
charisma, or natural storytelling ability?
o If you have time and resources to record multiple perspectives, do it
o Consider broadening your notion of "expertise"

12. Step 2: Interviews (Actualities)
o Do your homework beforehand, but don’t act like you already know the
answers
o Don’t craft questions that answer themselves
o Avoid questions that elicit YES/NO answers
o Remind interviewees to rephrase the question
Q: “What did you eat for breakfast this morning?”
A: “This morning I ate oatmeal, bananas, and tea.”
o Keep your interview session targeted
§ Ask about topics most relevant to the visitor
§ Ask about specific objects or topics
“INTERVIEWS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE INTERVIEWER”

13. Step 2: Interviews (Actualities)
• Transcribe with Timecode
• A time code is a time stamp inserted periodically in a transcript, normally
[HH:MM:SS]
• Helps you quickly locate words and phrases in the corresponding audio
• Preserve stutters, ums, long pauses, laughter, verbal ticks, etc. so you can be
aware of them while scripting and editing; also preserves the character of
one’s voice
• Very handy for licensing content

14. Step 3: Review Audio &
Transcripts
• Listen to check the audio quality
• Use quotes for emphasis, flow and drama; not just for factoids
• If an interviewee says something with passion, find a way to use it
• Let good quotes stand on their own; narration should frame, not
paraphrase
However...
• At times your narrator can say in one sentence what
your interviewee says in three; replace meandering comments
with concise narration.

15. Step 4: Scripting
The Basics Building Blocks
Narrator
The voice that frames the story
Actuality
The subject or interviewee; unscripted
Ambient sound ("Buzztrack")
Environmental sound, sound effects (sfx), score

16. Classic "NPR" (American radio doc formula)
Narrator _____ ______ (20%)
Actuality _____ ______ (70%)
Ambient sound ______ (10%)
The formula is functional and familiar, and
there's something to that...

17. ...But what other approaches are possible?
Narrator (__%)
Actuality (__%)
Ambient sound (__%)
Listen...
Can you map the structure in this clip?
What makes a program like Radiolab so compelling?

18. Does ambient sound = background?
In only 1-2 seconds, ambient sound can:
• Wordlessly evoke a mood.
• Situate or transport the listener in time and space
• Serve as an important source of information, or accentuate a point
!
So…be sure to insert music and audio cues as you write
WORDS AREN T THE ONLY TOOLS FOR TELLING A GOOD STORY

19. Writing for the Ear
• Script as you would normally
speak
o No parenthetical clauses
o One thought per sentence;
one breath per sentence
o Use contractions
o Active, not passive voice
§ Write in an order that
answers "Who did what?"
o Short, simple sentences
• As you write, read your
words aloud
o Can you follow the logic?
o Would a narrator be able to
read it in one breath?
"IF YOU WOULDN'T SAY IT, DON T WRITE IT"

20. Writing into Actualities
• Create the illusion of a natural dialogue between narrator
and interview clip
• The interviewee should appear to finish the narrator's
thought
NARRATOR: Several staffers caught a good look at the moon
rock. Jane Doe is with the museum's education department.
She says the sight nearly scared her to death. !
!
ACTUALITY: Well, I saw the thing comin out of the sky,
straight for my Macbook. All these pieces cracked off and
when they landed, I could see they were stray ideas....

21. Beware Moon Rocks !
• "Moon Rocks”
"Alien" visitors from another script or story
• Consider moving non-essential information into sublayers
(But beware excessive sublayers)
• Find an alternate platform for far out "Moon Rock" segments:
Podcast segments, blog posts, videos or audio slideshows, etc.
ONE THEME PER SCRIPT, ONE THOUGHT PER SENTENCE.

22. Length Alert!
Shoot for 1-1.5 minutes; 2 minutes max
200 words = 90 seconds recorded
Beware “Museum fatigue”

23. Length Alert!
• Limit your script to "just in time"
information What's most relevant to
understand here and now?
• Move non-essential information
into a sublayer (but sparingly)
• And if you still can't tell the story in
1-2 minutes, how else could the
story be told?
• Use image tracks sparingly, and
only if they really add value
• Videos should be short ( < 1 minute)

24. DO
DON T
Begin with what can be seen, and keep
bringing the eye back to the work;
encourage close looking
Undermine the act of seeing
Leave room for interpretation
Over-determine or shut out the possibility
of other readings
Conduct new interviews; delve into the
archives (e.g. repositories like Archives of
American Art; documentaries; other
museums; public programs)
Tell the story only through scripted
narration
Base your script around the actuality
Predetermine what the story should be;
ignore actualities that don t support your
thesis
Introduce multiple voices and
perspectives. If they conflict, frame it as a
debate
Suggest that there is a single authority on
the subject
Allow for random access and meandering
Script a single, linear path ( forced
march )

25. Step 5: Script Review
• Have a colleague read it aloud as you listen without benefit of the
script
• Time your "walkthrough" reading to roughly estimate length
• Listen while gazing at a photo of the object (or better yet, the real
thing)
• Does what you hear ring true with what you see?

26. Step 6: Audio Review &
Evaluation
• Review audio on the same headphones or equipment as your
visitors
• Listen on an open day in the galleries, preferably in front of the
work
o Audio seems longer standing on your feet
o Environmental noise may be more than you had anticipated
o People also tend to wander as they listen
• Listen to your visitors
o You don't need a lot of money to do surveys or observation
o Leave a comment book

27. Part II:!
Group Crit

28. Let’s Give!
Constructive !
Feedback.

29. Clark Art Institute!
Williamstown, MA, USA
Case study: Artwork-specific audio guide stops
Average running time:
2.5-3 minutes per stop (as scripted)
Audience:
General
Format:
Random-access / Artwork-specific
Delivery method:
Initially, keypad audio device. Plans
to eventually port to touchscreen
devices with multimedia & layering
capabilities

30. #435. A Street in Venice, c. 1880-82
John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925)
Oil on canvas

31. #567. Cloud Study, c. 1821-22
John Constable (English, 1776-1837)
Oil on cream laid paper, mounted on canvas
#435.

32. Part III:!
Your Turn! !
Hands-On Scriptwriting!

33. Hands-On Scriptwriting
STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR INTERVIEW SUBJECT
o Divide into teams of two
STEP 2: CONDUCT A 1-3 MINUTE INTERVIEW
o Every object has a story. Take turns interviewing each other
about an item from your purse or bag, or something you are wearing
such as clothing or jewelry
o Record using an iPhone, computer, or one of the provided devices
o Practice active listening
o Avoid YES/NO questions and observations posing as questions
STEP 3: TRANSCRIBE
o Transcribe your interview with (rough) timecode

34. • AUDIENCE: What kind of visitor will be listening to your content?
• SETTING: What other gallery resources will be provided?
• THE BASICS
o NARRATION: The voice that frames the story
o ACTUALITY: The interview, or media from your content audit
o SFX: Music or ambient sound to set a tone or dramatize a point
• WRITE FOR THE EAR
o Script as you would normally speak
o One theme per script, one thought per sentence
o As you write, read your words aloud
• LENGTH ALERT! 200 words = approx. 90 seconds
Hands-On Scriptwriting

35.
• WHAT’S WORKING?
o Is the script an appropriate length?
o Is it written for the ear?
o Are there Moon Rocks?
• HOW WAS THE PROCESS?
o Any take-aways from the interview and scripting process?
o How would you apply this to your own museum?
CRIT TIME!

36. QUESTIONS?