How to Write a Script for Voice Over

Most re-records come from the page, not the performance. A voice actor reads exactly what is in front of them, so anything ambiguous on the page becomes a choice made in the booth, and the choice may not be yours. This guide covers what to fix before the script leaves your desk.

Write for the ear

Spoken language is looser than written language. Sentences that look fine in a document can run out of breath when read aloud, and a clause that needs a second reading on screen cannot be reread by a listener. Keep one idea per sentence, put the subject early, and cut anything the listener has to hold in memory while waiting for the verb.

1. Read it aloud

   Mark every place where you run out of breath or stumble. Those are the lines to split or simplify.

2. Write numbers as they are said

   Spell out dates, amounts and ranges the way you want to hear them, for example “twenty twenty-six”, not “2026”.

3. Resolve acronyms

   Decide whether “API” is read as letters or as a word, and write it down. The same goes for product and brand names.

4. Add a direction line

   One sentence on who is speaking, to whom, and the mood. It replaces a page of adjectives.

5. Mark timings only when they matter

   If the voice must land on a picture, give the cue. Otherwise leave pacing to the director.

A before and after

Lock the version

Changes after recording are the usual cause of repeated sessions. Agree who has the last word on the text, freeze the version, and send the final file with a date in its name. If the wording may still change, say so in the brief so the session can be planned in sections.