Writing Video Scripts with Transcripts

A transcript is a video script, split into scenes. A scene is one part of the video: a hook, a tip, a call to action. Each scene has its own words, its own speaker and its own notes for filming.

Use a transcript to:

Write the script for a Reel, TikTok or YouTube video, one scene at a time.
See how long it runs. Orsa counts the words and estimates the time.
Plan the shoot with directions, links and reference files on each scene.
Review it with your team through comments and suggested edits.
Rehearse it in Preview Mode, which works as a simple teleprompter.

Open transcripts from the Transcripts tab of the Create page.

Quick start (5 minutes)

Open Create on the Transcripts tab.
Click Create, pick Transcript, then click Create. A card called “untitled” appears at the top of the list.
Click the card to open it. Click the title “untitled” at the top and give it a name, then click the check mark.
Click Add Scene at the bottom of the left panel. A scene called “untitled” appears with the text “new scene”.
Click the scene. In the middle of the screen, click the pencil (Edit), replace the text with your script, then click save.
Add more scenes the same way, then click Preview Mode at the top right to read it all back.

Example: a bakery plans a 30-second Reel. They make three scenes: “Hook” (“This croissant takes three days to make.”), “Process” (“Day one, we fold in the butter…”) and “Call to action” (“Order yours for Saturday, link in bio.”).

The transcript screen

The transcript editor has four parts:

The top bar: Back to transcripts, the title (click to rename), the ⋮ menu and Preview Mode.
The left panel has four tabs: Scenes, Configure, Repurpose and Similar.
The middle shows the scene you picked, with its script and, underneath, the Directions, Links and Files tabs.
The right panel has Orsa AI, plus Comments and Suggestions once you pick a scene. Drag its left edge to make it wider or narrower.

The Scenes tab also holds the transcript’s Status, its Platform and its Content Source.

Everything saves as you go. There’s no save button for the transcript itself.

Add and organize scenes

Scenes are listed under Scenes in the left panel, in the order they play.

Add a scene: click Add Scene. New scenes are called “untitled”, hold the text “new scene”, and list you as the speaker.
Open a scene: click it. Its script opens in the middle. Use the arrows with the next and previous scene names at the top to move through the script.
Rename a scene: click its title in the middle (next to the pencil), type, then click the check mark.
Reorder scenes: drag a scene up or down in the list. A blue line shows where it will land.
Delete a scene: in the middle, click the gear next to the scene title, then Delete scene. It’s deleted right away, without a confirmation.

A transcript can have up to 50 scenes. At 50, Add Scene is replaced by “You have reached the limit of 50 scenes”.

Example: a fitness coach writes the call to action first, then drags “Call to action” to the bottom of the list once the other scenes are done.

Write and edit a scene’s script

Click a scene.
Click the pencil (Edit) at the bottom right of the script box.
Type or paste your script.
Click the save icon (Save) to keep it, or Cancel to throw away your changes.

Under the script, you see the scene’s estimated length and word count, like ~5 seconds and 15 words. Next to the scene title, the clock shows where the scene sits in the video, like 10 - 15 (seconds 10 to 15).

Example: “Three mistakes people make with sourdough. Number one: you’re using cold water.” is 14 words. At 3 words per second, that’s about 5 seconds.

Speakers and speaking pace

Every scene has a speaker: a person on your brand team who says the lines.

Pick the speaker of a scene

Click a scene.
Click the speaker’s name above the script.
Pick a teammate from the list.

Next to the speaker is their role, which starts as Speaker. Click it to change it, for example to Host or Narrator, then press Enter.

Set the speaking pace

Orsa works out how long a scene takes from its word count and the Words Per Second (pace) of that scene. The default is 3 words per second. The pace can go from 3 to 10.

One scene: click the gear next to the scene title, then change Words Per Second.
All of one speaker’s scenes: open the Configure tab, find the speaker under Speakers, click the gear, and change Words Per Second. Every scene that person speaks changes.

Give every scene the same speaker

On the Configure tab, click the gear next to a teammate under Speakers, then Set speaker of all scenes to their username. Each teammate there also shows how many scenes they speak.

Example: Maya talks fast, Sam talks slowly. The team sets Maya’s pace to 4 and leaves Sam at 3, so Maya’s scenes show shorter times for the same number of words.

Set a target length (Progress)

The Progress box at the top of the Configure tab compares your script with your targets:

Word Count: total words in all scenes, against your target in words.
Duration: estimated total time, against your target in sec (seconds).

To change a target, click the number on the right, type a new one and click somewhere else. New transcripts start with a target of 50 words and 10 seconds.

The current number changes color as you write:

Green: up to 75% of the target.
Yellow: over 75%.
Red with “!”: over the target.

Example: for a 30-second Reel, set Duration to 30 and Word Count to 90. When Duration turns yellow, you have about 7 seconds left to fill.

Directions, Links and Files on a scene

Under each scene’s script there are three tabs for the shoot. Each scene has its own.

Directions: notes for filming, like “Close-up of hands folding dough” or “Look at the camera”. Type in New direction and press Enter. Click a note to edit it, or use the bin to delete it.
Links: web pages for this scene, like a song, a reference video or a product page. Add an optional Link title, paste the address in Enter URL…, then click Add.
Files: photos, videos or other files from your brand’s Assets library. Click + and pick files. To upload something new, add it to Assets first. See Your Assets Library.

Each scene can hold up to 50 directions, 50 links and 50 files.

Example: on the “Process” scene, a café adds the direction “Slow-motion pour, top-down”, links the song they want, and attaches last month’s latte art video as a reference for the camera person.

Configure: platform, source, approvers and more

The Scenes tab, above the scene list:

Status: where the script is in your process, like Draft or Review. Moving it to Review runs the Quality Gate. See The Quality Gate.
Platform: where the video will be posted, like Instagram Reel, TikTok Video or YouTube Video. The Quality Gate uses it to check the script’s length.
Content Source: the idea, document, blog, video or marketing email this script comes from. Pick one with Select a source.

The Configure tab:

Progress: your word and time targets (see above).
Approvers, with Request Review. See Reviews and Approvals.
Source Files: recordings that go with this script (see below).
Design: link one design, like the Reel’s cover or the video you edit in Orsa. The linked design then shows this script in its Transcript tab in the design editor.
Tags: tags for finding the transcript later.
Speakers: your team, with each person’s pace and scene count.

Source Files: link your recording

Source Files is for the raw video or audio that goes with the script, like a recorded interview or a voice memo of your ideas.

Open the Configure tab.
Under Source Files, click Add Source.
Pick a video or audio file from your Assets.

When you add a file, Orsa writes down what’s said in it. Click the file’s chip to see Video Segments: each part of the recording with its time, like 0:12 - 0:18 (6s), and its words.

Orsa AI can read these words. Ask it something like “Turn my interview recording into scenes” and it builds scenes from what you actually said.

Good to know:

Upload videos and let them finish processing in Assets first. A video that has finished processing shows Generate Transcript or View Transcript in its Assets menu.
If the recording already has a transcript in Assets, the transcript uses the same words.
Click the × on a chip to remove the file from this transcript. The file stays in Assets.

Example: a dentist records a 5-minute chat about flossing. They add it under Source Files, then ask Orsa AI “Pull the three best tips from my recording into three short scenes.”

Suggest an edit instead of changing the script

A suggestion lets you propose new wording without changing the script. A teammate then decides.

Suggest an edit

Click a scene.
Click the light bulb (Suggest an edit) under the script.
Change the text. Add an optional note in Optional note explaining your suggestion….
Click the save icon (Save). The script itself doesn’t change.

Review suggestions

Click a scene, then Suggestions in the right panel. While a scene is open, a light bulb with a number on it in the list shows how many suggestions are waiting.
Click View proposed script to read the new wording.
Click Apply to replace the scene’s script with it, or Reject.

Each suggestion shows Pending, Applied or Rejected. Finished ones say who decided and when, like “Applied by alex”.

Good to know:

You can’t apply or reject your own suggestion. While it’s pending, you can Withdraw it.
Anyone on the brand team can apply or reject a teammate’s suggestion.
Applying replaces the whole scene script with the suggested version.

Example: your client-facing manager thinks the hook is too long. Instead of rewriting it, they suggest “Stop wasting butter.” with the note “Shorter hook, test it?”. The scriptwriter reads it and clicks Apply.

Comments on a scene

Each scene has its own comments, so feedback stays with the right part of the video. Click a scene, then Comments in the right panel. While a scene is open, a speech bubble with a number on it in the list shows its unread comments. See Comments and Mentions.

Write with Orsa AI

The Orsa AI tab in the right panel is a chat about this transcript. Orsa AI knows your brand and this script, and it can:

Rewrite the scene you have open.
Add new scenes, with directions.
Rename the transcript.
Read the words in your Source Files.

When Orsa AI wants to change something, you see a card like “Orsa AI wants to update scene”. Nothing changes until you click Approve. Click Cancel to say no.

Try the starter prompts, like Rewrite this scene’s script or Draft a new video script from scratch. Orsa AI uses AI credits. See Credits and Limits and Approving Orsa AI’s Actions.

Example: open the “Hook” scene and type “Give me a punchier hook under 10 words for busy parents.” Approve the card to swap in the new line.

Preview Mode and the teleprompter

Preview Mode shows the whole script as one clean page, scene by scene. Click Preview Mode at the top right. It appears once the transcript has a scene.

At the top you see the total runtime, words and scenes. The controls:

A− and A+ change the text size.
Highlight lights up one word at a time while the teleprompter runs.
Focus dims every scene except the one being read.
Start teleprompter goes through the scenes one by one, timed by each scene’s pace. Use Pause, Resume and Stop while it runs.
Edit takes you back to the editor.

On a phone, a transcript with scenes always opens in Preview Mode, with the note “Use computer to edit”.

Example: before filming, the host clicks Start teleprompter with Focus on and reads along. If a scene runs out before they finish, they know to cut words or slow that scene’s pace.

Open the ⋮ menu at the top right:

Download: saves the script as a PDF. It lists the total time, words and scenes, then each scene with its speaker, timing, word count, script and direction notes. It shows once the transcript has a scene.
Share: makes a link for people outside your team. See Sharing with Share Links.

In the left panel:

Repurpose turns an approved transcript into a blog, design, AI design or marketing email. Until the transcript is Approved or Published, it says “Approve it first”.
Similar lists content that’s like this script, including competitor and other posts Discover found. It’s checked the first time the transcript moves to Review. See Repurpose and Similar Content.

Ideas for using transcripts

A weekly tips Reel.

A plant shop keeps one transcript per week: “Hook”, “Tip”, “Call to action”. They set Platform to Instagram Reel and Duration to 30, so they can see at a glance when a script is too long.

A two-person video.

A real estate team films a walkthrough. Jordan speaks the intro and outro, Priya speaks the room scenes. They set each scene’s speaker, and Priya sets her role to Guide. The PDF they print shows who says what.

A shot list for your video editor.

Each scene gets Directions like “B-roll: front door, golden hour” and a Files reference clip. They share the transcript as View only with their freelance editor.

From recording to script.

A coach records a long voice memo while walking. They add it under Source Files and ask Orsa AI “Turn this into a 45-second script with 4 scenes.”

Tips for the best results

Keep scenes short. One idea per scene makes timing, comments and suggestions easier to follow.
Set the platform and a Duration target first. Then the colors tell you when you’re going over, and the Quality Gate checks the right limit.
Set each speaker’s pace. Read a scene out loud and time it. If it takes longer than the estimate, lower that speaker’s Words Per Second.
Rehearse in Preview Mode before filming. The teleprompter uses the same timing, so you find long scenes early.
Link the Content Source. When the script comes from an idea, link it. Orsa AI reads it, and the Quality Gate uses the idea’s pillars.
Use suggestions for feedback on wording, and comments for everything else. Suggestions keep the script intact until someone applies them.

Common questions

I created a transcript but nothing opened. That’s expected. New transcripts appear as an “untitled” card at the top of the Transcripts tab. Click it to open it.

Comments and Suggestions are missing from the right panel. They’re per scene. Click a scene in the left panel first. Until then, only Orsa AI shows.

Preview Mode and Download don’t show. Both need at least one scene. Click Add Scene first.

Why can’t I pick someone as a speaker? Speakers are people on your brand team. Invite them first. See Inviting Your Team. To label someone who isn’t on your team, like a guest, change the scene’s role instead.

Why can’t I apply my own suggestion? Suggestions are for a second pair of eyes. A teammate has to apply or reject it. You can Withdraw it, or click Edit and change the script directly.

The Duration in Progress doesn’t match the scene times. Progress estimates the total at 3 words per second. Scene times and the teleprompter use each scene’s own pace. If you changed a pace, go by the scene times.

I deleted a scene by mistake. Delete scene works right away and there’s no undo in the editor. Add a new scene and paste the text back in, if you still have it.

My Source File shows no Video Segments. Orsa only reads a file at the moment you add it. If the video was still processing then, nothing was written down. Click × to remove it, wait until the video shows Generate Transcript or View Transcript in Assets, then add it again. Videos without sound have no words to show.

I hit “You have reached the limit of 50 scenes”. That’s the most a transcript can hold. Merge short scenes, or split the video into two transcripts.

Can guests edit my script? Only with a Can edit share link. Guests can’t comment on transcripts or suggest edits. See Sharing with Share Links.