Why scripts hurt brand films
A scripted brand film almost always sounds scripted. The subject is reading something instead of saying something, and viewers detect the difference even if they can't articulate it. The lines come out flat. The wording is too clean. It feels like an ad, which is the failure mode every brand film is trying to avoid.
The question-framework alternative
Instead of writing a script, we develop a question framework: 8 to 12 prompts ordered to produce a usable narrative arc when the answers are edited together. The subject doesn't see the questions in advance (they get topics, not specific questions). The interviewer's job is to keep the subject talking and to pull out specifics when the answers go general.
When you do need a script
If the video has an on-camera presenter delivering a structured walkthrough (product demo, training video, voiceover-driven explainer), you need a script. Anything that requires hitting specific terminology in a specific order, or anything where regulatory language has to appear verbatim, also needs a script.
The hybrid approach
Some videos use both: scripted voiceover for the connective tissue, plus interview material for the human texture. This works well for case studies, where the voiceover sets up the project context and the interview footage delivers the credibility. The script in this case is short (200 to 400 words for a 3-minute video) and exists to support the interviews, not replace them.