Write a two-column AV script with source-review notes

An AV script lets a reviewer compare what a viewer hears with what a viewer sees in the same row. It becomes much less useful when narration, camera notes and licensing reminders are mixed into a single paragraph.

Boords documents a dedicated audio/visual script block and narration-based timing. The lesson for a small production is straightforward: estimate speech from the audio column, not from all the words on the page. Boords writing documentation.

Start with two core columns

The audio column contains exact speech, meaningful sound cues or silence. The visual column describes the corresponding frame or action. Shot numbers, planned seconds and source notes are useful additional fields; they are not what makes the document an AV script.

Prefer one editable row per editorial beat. A row can contain several camera ideas while the plan is rough, but split it before production when those ideas need separate sources or approvals. Keep the spoken wording intact when moving it out of an approved script.

A worked example

Imagine a fictional scene about restoring a signal lamp. In the first row, the visual says “Close-up of the unlit lamp and disconnected wire.” The audio says “The wire has come loose.” The source note says “Original illustration; review the selected image before use.” Five seconds is a planning estimate, not an audio measurement.

In the second row, the visual says “The wire is connected; the lamp turns on.” The audio says “With the connection restored, the light returns.” That ordering exposes a continuity requirement: a picture of an already glowing lamp cannot illustrate the first row without contradicting the narration.

Keep a source column useful

A source note should say what a reviewer must still check. Record the original page, creator, stated license and intended use when known. “Found online” is not a reproducible record. “Permission pending” is more useful than leaving a blank that another collaborator might mistake for approval.

The AV script template keeps these notes beside narration. Export JSON to reopen the same draft, CSV for a spreadsheet and Markdown for a readable handoff. The source attribution builder formats metadata you supply; it does not decide whether a work can be reused.

Review before handoff

Read only the audio column aloud. Then inspect only the visual column for actions, states and missing shots. Finally read across each row. This three-pass review catches problems a single linear read can miss. Use words to minutes for a preliminary speech budget, then measure the actual recording.

An animatic can test the plan's timing, but the table remains a planning document. Its value is making disagreements visible before generating or sourcing expensive material, rather than pretending to be the finished film.

References checked November 4, 2026. Product descriptions are from public official material, not paid-output testing. Examples and cover artwork are original Topicut editorial material.