Scriptwriting Services for Documentaries, YouTube and Short FilmsA synopsis, a single scene, dialogue or a full script for a documentary, YouTube video or short film. English and Russian; no filming, voice recording or editing.
Recording three hours of interviews is easy. The hard part is finding the film somewhere inside those three hours. There’s almost always more material than you need: memories, photographs, letters, lines from the person on camera that feel far too good to cut. But the viewer doesn’t share our attachment to the archive: they need a reason to watch and a story they can follow.I’m Olga Sverchkova, a writer and lawyer. My scriptwriting services cover the written side of a project: I shape the material into a story, find the narrator’s voice and build the scenes so that each one grows out of the last. You can commission a concept and synopsis, a structure, scenes, dialogue or narration for a documentary, YouTube episode or short film.You work with me throughout, and I write the text myself. I don’t film, edit, record voice-over or produce the video. I live in Tbilisi and work remotely. For English-language projects, all communication is in writing. I give you a fee and timetable after we discuss the project, before work begins.
Why good material doesn’t turn into a video on its own
What’s often missing isn’t material but decisions: what to say in words, what to show on screen, and where to stay quiet and let the person speak. Without that preparation, everything has to be worked out in the edit. The story then depends on whatever was filmed, even when the most important moment is missing.A script helps you see the story ahead: where it begins, where it’s going and how it ends. In a documentary, that plan may change when new facts emerge or someone gives an unexpected answer. But it gives the production team a starting point: which questions to ask, what to film and what material still needs to be found.
Scriptwriting Services I Offer
A video script about a person, a family or a company
A video about a person, a family, a company or a place usually starts with too much material rather than too little. For a project like this, I write the sequence of scenes, the questions for the filmed interview and the narration. We decide where the person’s own words should carry the story and where a single line from the narrator will do.
If the project is based on real events, we agree on the sources and on what still needs checking. An unverified memory doesn’t become a fact just because it sounds good as narration.
Documentary narration and YouTube scripts
Narration is written for the ear. The viewer should be able to follow the thought without pausing after every complicated sentence. I check the rhythm, transitions and pauses, and whether the words are repeating something the picture already makes clear.
For documentary stories and YouTube channels, I write the full narration, ready for recording, and a two-column script: what’s heard on the left, what’s on screen on the right. I work on an opening that gives the viewer a reason to watch, the transitions between sections, and an ending that closes the story or leads into the next episode.
Short film scripts, scenes and dialogue
For fiction, you can commission a synopsis, a short film script, a single scene or dialogue. If you already have a draft, the job may be narrower: finding where the tension drops, cutting lines that characters say only for the audience’s benefit, or building a convincing transition between scenes.
I read the concept and the material first, then tell you how much of the work I can take on. Feature films and series need a separate discussion.
Crime stories and courtroom scenes
I’ve been practising law in St Petersburg for more than twenty years, including criminal cases. I know how an arrest, an interrogation, a search and a court hearing unfold in Russia, and I can write those scenes without the usual television clichés. I take account of when and where the story is set: laws and procedures change.
If the script is already written and only needs checking for accuracy, there’s a separate service for that: legal accuracy review for fiction. This is work on a fictional story, not legal advice on a real case. I do not use stories from my legal practice in publications, books or scripts, even without names.
A video about a person, a family, a company or a place usually starts with too much material rather than too little. For a project like this, I write the sequence of scenes, the questions for the filmed interview and the narration. We decide where the person’s own words should carry the story and where a single line from the narrator will do.
If the project is based on real events, we agree on the sources and on what still needs checking. An unverified memory doesn’t become a fact just because it sounds good as narration.
Documentary narration and YouTube scripts
Narration is written for the ear. The viewer should be able to follow the thought without pausing after every complicated sentence. I check the rhythm, transitions and pauses, and whether the words are repeating something the picture already makes clear.
For documentary stories and YouTube channels, I write the full narration, ready for recording, and a two-column script: what’s heard on the left, what’s on screen on the right. I work on an opening that gives the viewer a reason to watch, the transitions between sections, and an ending that closes the story or leads into the next episode.
Short film scripts, scenes and dialogue
For fiction, you can commission a synopsis, a short film script, a single scene or dialogue. If you already have a draft, the job may be narrower: finding where the tension drops, cutting lines that characters say only for the audience’s benefit, or building a convincing transition between scenes.
I read the concept and the material first, then tell you how much of the work I can take on. Feature films and series need a separate discussion.
Crime stories and courtroom scenes
I’ve been practising law in St Petersburg for more than twenty years, including criminal cases. I know how an arrest, an interrogation, a search and a court hearing unfold in Russia, and I can write those scenes without the usual television clichés. I take account of when and where the story is set: laws and procedures change.
If the script is already written and only needs checking for accuracy, there’s a separate service for that: legal accuracy review for fiction. This is work on a fictional story, not legal advice on a real case. I do not use stories from my legal practice in publications, books or scripts, even without names.
A place to start:
a script for a 10–15 minute documentary
One option for a first commission is a script for a 10–15 minute documentary about a person, a family or a place. I write from your material and public sources, and your videographer or production team does the filming.
What’s included:
- a written discussion of the project and questions about the material;
- work with the photographs, letters and documents you send, fact-checking within the agreed scope and a list of sources;
- the story’s structure: opening, development, key events and ending;
- questions for the filmed interview;
- full narration, ready for recording;
- a two-column script: text and what’s on screen;
- a list of the archive material and locations you’ll need;
- revisions within the agreed scope.
Not included: filming, editing, voice recording, music and music rights, digitising archives, travel or genealogical research. I don’t write scripts for private celebrations.
What’s included:
- a written discussion of the project and questions about the material;
- work with the photographs, letters and documents you send, fact-checking within the agreed scope and a list of sources;
- the story’s structure: opening, development, key events and ending;
- questions for the filmed interview;
- full narration, ready for recording;
- a two-column script: text and what’s on screen;
- a list of the archive material and locations you’ll need;
- revisions within the agreed scope.
Not included: filming, editing, voice recording, music and music rights, digitising archives, travel or genealogical research. I don’t write scripts for private celebrations.
Who will write your script?
I’m a recipient of the Golden Pen of Russia award and the author of a legal column whose title translates as A Lawyer to the Rescue. Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi has been published, and I’m working on The Alibi of St Petersburg, a crime novel. The prologue and first five chapters of Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi are free to read, so you can get a sense of my prose before commissioning work.
I take responsibility for the text, from the first scene to the last line. Your production team handles filming and editing, so their requirements are worth sharing before the writing begins.
I take responsibility for the text, from the first scene to the last line. Your production team handles filming and editing, so their requirements are worth sharing before the writing begins.
How we work
Tell me what the story is about, who it’s for and what form it should take: a video, a YouTube episode, an audio project or a short film. If you know the running time, platform, production constraints and deadline, include them. A few lines are enough for a first message; there’s no need to send your whole archive.I then send you questions in writing to understand the story as you see it. You answer in your own time, and there is a record of everything we agree. We settle the work, fee, timetable and revisions before I start writing. A new concept or extra scenes are discussed separately from revisions to the agreed project.
What scriptwriting costs
The fee depends on whether you need short narration based on prepared material or a story developed through research. I quote after we discuss the project and confirm the fee before work begins. I don’t sell views: a script cannot guarantee reach, funding, production or acceptance by a platform or broadcaster.
If what you need is a book, an article or a speech rather than a script, all my writing services are on the Ghostwriting Services page.
Author Olga Sverchkova
I’m a writer and a Russian lawyer with more than twenty years of legal practice in St Petersburg. I write about relationships, choices, memory, cities and everyday life.
Frequently asked questions
What do scriptwriting services include?
The written part of a future video or film, in the agreed format: a synopsis and scene outline, a script separating narration from on-screen action, full narration or a single scene with dialogue. We agree on the files you’ll receive and how much development is needed before we start, so that “a script” doesn’t mean two completely different things to each of us.
Can I start with just an idea?
Yes. Tell me what matters to you about it and who you want to reach. From that, I’ll suggest a suitable scope of work.
Can I commission the script and film it with another team?
Yes, that’s how it’s meant to work. Ask the crew for their technical requirements early. I write the text; decisions about filming and editing stay with the people making the video.
Who owns the rights to the script?
We agree on credit before work begins; I can write without being named. Our contract sets out the transfer of exclusive rights to the text and how it may be used. Under Russian law, authorship itself is not transferable.
What about rights to photographs, music and archive footage?
Those have to be cleared separately and aren’t part of the writing commission. In the script, I note which material you’ll need, so you know early on which rights you’ll have to arrange.
Can you write a feature film or a TV series?
A project like that needs a separate discussion. Send me the concept and tell me which stage you need help with. I’ll explain what work I can take on. I don’t promise film production, a script sale or acceptance by a studio.
Which languages do you write in?
English and Russian.
Tell me about your story
Send me a few lines about the project, who it’s for, what you need and by when. If you have an example of the format you like, add a link.