Are you missing critical moments in your game day production? We get it – there is a lot to keep track of during the game. Luckily, behind every captivating fan experience is a well-crafted game script. A game script is a spreadsheet-like itinerary for planning each sports production from pre-game to post-game—including the queuing of all announcements, sponsorship ads, starting lineups, PA reads, live camera hits, hype video clips, fan interactions, games, and more. Let’s unpack the elements of a great game script.
Check out this video for a brief overview of a game-day script.
Pre-Game
In an easy-to-read game script, you will want to coordinate and time-stamp all activities, such as when to trigger videos, ads, and announcements. Spruce up your pre-game experience by playing a welcome video or announcements as your fans find seats. As your pre-game clock winds down, play a hype video for the team’s entrance.
Your pre-game script should include at a minimum, the following:
- Time doors or gates open
- Players returning to the court/field
- National Anthem
- Starting lineups
- Officials introductions
- Additional crowd hype events
Use a game script to plan and schedule automated and on-demand media to run during critical moments leading up to the game.
Game-Play
When transitioning the script for the start of gameplay, you will want to list the default layout to use when displaying content. This is critical as all layouts will want to keep the score, clock, and other game information within the referee’s and coaches’ sight at all times. Gameplay, of course, can not be scripted. The in-game script will primarily contain on-demand media for use in a game. For ScoreVision software users, we offer sport-specific QUIX on the SV Scorekeeper Apps and player accolades through the SV Producer App to highlight players, scoring, and other major sports-specific events as needed.
Schedule ads, fan engagement activities, and special announcements when there is a break in the action. Timeouts are a great time to let your ad sequences run. Through the SV Cloud, users can set up timeout sequences in advance with a mix of sponsor ads, hype clips, and general school announcements. These sequences automatically play when a timeout is triggered through the SV Scorekeeper Apps.
The same context applies after a period or quarter ends. These breaks include a significant break before the next one begins. When these occur, it’s a great time to introduce fan engagement events such as dance team performances or fan-focused activities through on-demand features in the SV Producer App. Animated school logo graphics are a great visual tool for stand-by moments. When these events are triggered using the SV Scorekeeper App, your scoreboard will transition to our pre-built countdown layout, which displays the critical game information and a timeout countdown clock at the bottom of your screen. Your videos and advertisements will play in the space designated without removing the game information.
Halftime
Halftime in any sporting event allows the most time between actions to engage with the fans. This is typically when you want to provide specific details within the script. Depending on the sport, the time you schedule halftime activities will vary.
Halftime events may include, but are not limited to:
- Marching band Field Show
- Dance Team Showcase
- Cheer Team Performances
- Awards Presentation
- Homecoming/Prom Court Coronations
- Crowd involvement mini-games
This is also an ideal time to schedule shoutouts in your script for game sponsors and featured sponsors. These can be a mix of PA Announcer reads, on-demand commercials, and static ads from the sponsors. With ScoreVision, these can be triggered through the SV Producer App. Halftime is also a great spot to schedule school and event announcements through PA reads and static images used as either on-demand plays or added to a halftime stand-by sequence within other advertisements and media.
End-Of-Game
The final period break indicates the end of the game and starts your final interactions with the fans for this event in your facility. At this point, you should prepare for two separate scenarios. One is if your home team won, and the second is if the opposing team won. As the game ends and teams congratulate each other, a quick animation is excellent to celebrate a team victory and pump up the crowd as the band continues to play and fans cheer on the winners. Victory graphics can be set as the standby after a win as the PA congratulates the winners and gives final announcements for dismissal.
If the away team happens to win, scheduling graphics congratulating the opponent, followed by your school's animated logo graphic, can be used while the teams clear the area of play. While fans are dismissing, setting up a graphic announcing the next scheduled game can be beneficial to keep fans up-to-date on your team’s playing schedule.
Post-game is a great time to schedule advertising sequences to capture fans' attention while waiting to leave or for their athletes. These sequences can even be set up to alternate between advertising, dismissal announcements, and upcoming events and schedules.
Assigning Roles & Responsibilities
Creating and executing an organized game script is imperative for creating an immersive experience and requires teamwork and communication. Planning and executing the game script is a great way to involve students. Some schools integrate their media or broadcast classes to create, plan, and execute a fantastic game day experience. We recommend that your administration and staff coordinate with enthusiastic students to develop a game script that optimizes the needs of your event.
Creating a game script is an essential step in the overall administration of hosting sporting events. These lists will ensure your event runs smoothly and enable others to have direction without constant oversight. We advise you to modify the template we’ve already started to fit your needs. This script may change based on the event and may need tweaking based on how the event runs. The important thing is you stay proactive and continue to think through the preparation required to ensure your fans and your athletes have an experience they won’t forget.
