Writing a voice over script may seem straightforward, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.
As with any craft or specialism, the first step is the hardest.
Professional directors know that scriptwriting can take many art forms, styles, and tones, as well as years of practicing. So, don’t get too disheartened if your scripts aren’t up to scratch yet.
We’ll go over some tips and tricks to make sure your voice over scripts are top notch!
Is your voice over script for video or purely audio?
From the beginning, you need to be clear about how the production is going to be broadcast.
If your script will only be heard, (eg. radio, an audio tour, or a podcast), the words and voice are wholly responsible for invoking any essential or relevant visual cues.
For the voice over script specifically, provide a clear and decisive set of directional notes on the intonations and transitions between them and the precise use of grammatical flourishes. Use enthusiasm strategically, or you run the risk of your listeners feeling disinterested.
If you find yourself struggling, or if you simply don’t have the time to dedicate to crafting the script, you might consider the option to hire someone to perform your assignment.
This could be a professional scriptwriter or a service that specialises in creative writing. They can help you convey your message effectively, ensuring your voice over script is engaging and well-structured.
What’s the creative concept?
The creative concept is the beating heart of every production.
A large and well-funded production will involve the assembly of a creative team. The team will build and test multiple creative concepts to gauge which will be most effective and influential with the audience – which can take anywhere from a few weeks to months. They then usually conduct audience testing to see how people receive the concept.
If you’re working on a smaller, independent production with limited resources, you won’t have the luxury or benefit of audience testing. Consequently, this introduces greater freedom (which producers love) but also greater risk.
The premise of the creative concept is to identify and agree on:
– A unifying theme aimed at a defined audience demographic.
– The intended core emotional response of the audience.
– The anticipated reaction of the audience, which may include a specific call to action.
– The memorable conclusion(s) that the audience will retain afterward.
Prepare the storyboard
The creative concept enables the creation of a proposed presentation or storyboard. For a promotional project, this will also include a headline and tagline.
It will also include a key, central visual if it will be broadcasting via a visual medium (an online ad, a TV commercial, etc.). Of course, none of this would apply to an audiobook, and for audio-only productions, it may be that none of these are required.
In any case, the storyboard is generally broken into sections or panels and with accompanying illustrations or images for a video project. It’s a structured sequence of events. With a collective agreement to move forward with this, the scriptwriter begins the first draft.
Writing the script
Now you need to build your first draft script. Here are some tips, in no specific order, that will help you along the way:
1. Stay concise. It is a lot easier to expand on a line or thread that really works than trying to trim and consolidate excess lines later. Furthermore, your audience has an unforgivingly short attention span, particularly in audio-only productions. In most cases, they will still be distracted by their visual environment. Also, try to avoid making multiple points or ideas in the same line. Resist the urge to add an abundance of depth. Passive and causal audiences become apathetic when forced to process complex messages. Simplicity is gold.
2. Speak visually and actively. A great exercise is to assume that the listers are blind. Use active verbs in your script to keep the emphasis on the people who act. Active voice is where the subject is the actor of the verb, and this pulls in the audience. Passive voice, where the subject is the target of the action, has the opposite effect. Fortunately, there are numerous online solutions available to enhance your scriptwriting. It is recommended that you utilise an active passive voice converter that can assist you in drafting a script filled with active words. Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly. Does this mean you should wage a holy war against every single word that ends with ‘-ing’ (“sitting”, “crying”, “winning”)? No. Just remember that an abundance of adjectives and adverbs will accumulate distance from the audience.
3. Establish a tempo and stick with it. Good voice-over scripts follow a cadence, and their flow should determine how short your lines need to be. In general, the sharper those sentences are, the better. The best way to maintain timing is to read them aloud. This is an ideal time to identify what music, if any, is going to be used. Music introduces a rhythm that will influence and determine where to stress particular intonations or break sentences apart. Mesmerize your audience with a perfectly paced voice-over script.
4. Make strategic use of pauses. If you follow a sentence with a single beat of silence, it adds power and resolve. The introduction of pauses at any stage enables your audience to process the story. For a video script, silence has a way of forming a unique emotional tone. Its deliberate use is a very effective way to build a sense of sincerity. Use these to your advantage, and be sure to notarise this clearly in the script.
5. Write for speaking as opposed to reading. Keep reading your text out loud. Does the spoken version of the words sound like what you actually hear in conversation, or does it sound like a dissertation? Remember: people will inherently use shorter words when they speak with each other. They will also naturally interrupt each other frequently in dialogue, often when the other has paused for breath. It is hard not to cringe when you watch two soap opera characters who are supposed to be in a heated argument. They seem to take turns to exchange heated monologues within inhumane patience. Audiences quickly disengage when it’s evident that someone is reading from a script.
6. Avoid Word Repetition. Use the same word or group of words for effect or emphasise a point only when essential. Otherwise, steer clear of repeating yourself at all costs, especially in the same sentence or in adjacent lines. It sounds as bad as it reads. This might seem obvious, but it remains surprisingly and painfully familiar in non-edited (or poorly edited material). There are many applications available for detecting and replacing repeated words, so there’s no justification for this.
7. Intentional alliteration. You’re writing a script, not a tongue twister. Except for nursery rhymes, you should avoid a run of alliterative words and particularly those beginning with S, P, B, C, K and T (“Sells Seashells”, “Proper Cup of Coffee,” etc.). This doesn’t just apply to two or more words. It can apply to a single word with multiple syllables (like “Ferarri”). Sparing use of alliteration can be very powerful. Here is an infamous example: Martin Luthor King’s “I Have a Dream Speech”. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” He repeats the hard “c” sound, which strengthens the emphasis on his focus on his children.
Format the script
Prepare your voice over script in an editable, templated format. This enables the voice-actor to add their own personal notes where required.
Here at Voquent, we produce voice-over for thousands of scripts, and as you would expect, the vast majority are saved in Word, Excel, or a plain text file. There is a range of common industry-standard formats and style standards:
1. TV / Film scripts
Firstly: Courier size 12 font. No exceptions. Producers and studio executives won’t even begin to read a screenplay that doesn’t use this font type and size. In particular, film and TV scripts are like a set of instructions from the storyteller to the cast and crew. Everyone from the Director to the Actors needs to have a concept of the scene’s location, what time of day it is, and (of course) what’s being said. Where it’s relevant, the script will also include subtle but essential details, such as how certain characters are feeling. Something like this:
2. Non-sync/ Wild scripts
A plain text file is more than sufficient for a recording that won’t require video synchronisation, such as a radio promo, e-learning or presentation script. These are commonly referred to as “Non-sync” or “wild” recordings. The file will include the specified tone and pace expected from the voice-over. The word count of the script will determine the expected duration of the recording for that language. In some cases, the script may also highlight some post-production notes e.g. add to a video, mix with music, edit as separate files, etc. Here’s a basic example:
3. Time-coded/ Time-stamped scripts
A timecoded transcript is necessary for a voice-over that will be synchronised to an existing video in post-production. It’s also an essential prerequisite for closed captions, subtitling, and translation into other languages. The industry standard is a left margin of the document, which contains the specific time codes measured to the second. This format is particularly relevant for commercials or infographics as the voice-actor needs to know where to adjust the pace of their reads to match the visual scenes and transitions.
4. Live Broadcast scripts
Scripts for live broadcast events are best prepared in a plain text file and read from an Autocue/ Teleprompter application, and there are hundreds of software products on the market for this, including some great free ones such PromptSmart for mobile or the browser-based Telepromptermirror.
It can also help add stage direction at the start and end of an autocue script, such as reminding yourself to look at the camera with a closed mouth for five seconds before you begin and again after you’ve finished speaking. If the script is prepared for a slideshow presentation such as PowerPoint, add NEXT (in caps) after each line to remind yourself to advance to the next slide. If the slides have animation, add CLICK (in caps) after each line to remind yourself to display them. For writing a broadcast interview script, it’s standard practice to add the name of each speaker in caps. Surround the name with brackets (JOHN) on a separate line above their text to designate who should be speaking.
Audio exclusive On-Air Scripts for Radio Shows and Podcasts operate more as an instructional guide for the host of what is essentially a casual and improvised exchange between personalities. On-Air scripts do not follow an industry-standard format or templates, so there’s no right or wrong way to write what is essentially a schedule of reference notes.
It would be best if you still scripted the introduction(s) along with any specific questions or statements to be read verbatim. Everything else will mostly refer to the title(s), intros, cues, sound effects, music, and the length of gaps between segments. It’s also good practice to add pronunciation notes for brand names, people’s names, or words from other languages. In principle, On-Air scripts don’t contain a lot of text that to be read word-for-word. Its a guide to ensure that participants are prepared and to keep everything running on track.
5. Radio/ Podcast Narration
Radio dramas or other audio narration projects require a more detailed script format. It must also include notes about the timecodes involved, sound effects and music, and the gaps between sounds or segments. A generic radio script would look something like this:
On-Air scripts
On-Air Scripts for mediums such as Radio Shows and Podcasts operate more as an instructional guide for the host of what is essentially a casual and improvised exchange between personalities. On-Air scripts do not follow an industry-standard format or templates, so there’s no right or wrong way to write what is essentially a schedule of reference notes.
It would be best if you still scripted the introduction(s) along with any specific questions or statements to be read verbatim. Everything else will mostly refer to the title(s), intros, cues, sound effects, music, and the length of gaps between segments. It’s also good practice to add pronunciation notes for brand names, people’s names, or words from other languages. In principle, On-Air scripts don’t contain a lot of text that to be read word-for-word. Its a guide to ensure that participants are prepared and to keep everything running on track.
Now, you are ready
All of this will be common knowledge to a seasoned scriptwriter. While there are technical and educational themes that may appear mundane or prescriptive, writing copy of any kind is always a creative process, typically with wide and variable boundaries. As the old saying goes: the only limit is your imagination.
Thought, skill, and discipline are what ultimately separate the professionals from the amateurs. If you’re writing a script for yourself or someone else, these tips will help you get started.
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