Free voice over script resources (but try writing your own!)
Updated: Oct 29
Ok fine, here's a bunch of free scripts (from my very own typewriter) to get you started. Many were written as explainer animation scripts, but are good for general practice. For more resources, scroll!
Easy voiceover scripts (Free PDF downloads)
Slightly tricky voiceover scripts (Free PDF downloads)
More voice-over practice scripts...
There's 50 of them here for £5. I spent literal hours putting them together, so to save yourself Googling for scripts again, why not grab them? There's monologues, ads, narrations, loadsa bits and pieces! There's some that include a bit of bad formatting and typos - you'll get scripts like these from clients on occasion, it's good to practice with these too.
But before we get to the external links for more free voiceover scripts, on OTHER websites, opening YET MORE tabs in your browser, I want to briefly say write your own.
Write your own.
Freebies are great for practicing but if you want them for your reels, consider how many other people might have already used them for theirs.
Recording demo reels and keeping them current is obviously really important for voice artists. They push us to flex our muscles during the creative process and they help us to get work, so they have to be the absolute best we can possibly produce. That also means being unique. You won't stand out if you use a sample car commercial script that's been downloaded 145,000 times.
(By the time you finished reading that sentence, it was downloaded 3 more times). HOT TIP: I also wrote a post about how to make voiceover reel a couple of years ago and much of that content is still relevant.
But how do we even start writing our own, for a commercial reel, for example? Watch commercials. Lot's of them. If you don't have a TV, firstly, what do you point your sofa at? and secondly, take a look at this website. It's a huge library of great TV ads, with weekly updates. Absorb them like a sponge and use them as inspiration. Don't copy them, but allow them to give you some ideas of where you should aim for. Consuming media like this is always better than staring at a blank page trying frantically to write something for your reel. Listen to the words, the voice, and think about the content - service, product, charity etc.
Create a voice over commercial script
Here's my commercial voice over demo. I wrote everything on here with my very own pencil.
You can do this for all your reels. Video production websites or YouTube (I'm not going to link to that, everybody knows it) are great for explainer video research. For radio ads... turn on the radio. Whatever scripts you need inspiration for, find that media.
If you want a charity ad on your commercial reel, watch some charity ads. What sort of words do they use? Are they hard sell or do they grab the audience a different way? Pull out some words you like and use a thesaurus to find other words like those.
Another thought is to take the opposite direction. Need inspiration for a pet food ad? Listen to some monologues from films. The obvious contrast in styles can conjure up magic.
Use your own personal experiences to make the scripts real and human. (That's a good tip for voicing too, drawing on your history).
I'm not going to get into details about how to actually write the copy but just by doing a bit of leg work (eye and ear work), you can get a great start.
Use real brands - make the reel for what jobs you want to be doing. Like the ad for Dell? Make a Dell ad. Don't use Dave's Computers Down The Town (although I have heard VERY good things about them).
The last thing I'll mention about writing your own is how rewarding it can be. Seeing a script through from conception to the final edit with voice and music is a really great feeling.
OK DOUBLE FINE HERE'S SOME LINKS FOR FREE VOICE OVER SCRIPTS FOR YOUR DEMOS*.
*Practicing.
(Note on practicing - some people like to practice with content that already exists, like voiceover monologues in movies, so they can really stretch themselves. Just be careful posting anything you "copy" online, for obvious reasons).
Free, Commercial and Sample Voice over Script resources
But really, do have a go at writing your own. It's fun!
ChatGPT as a tool for script writing
Recently I've been embracing AI. It's pretty cool maaaaan.
ChatGPT in particular can really save you a lot of time when producing scripts. It would often take me a few hours to construct something coherent for a demo, but when I tried AI recently, it probably knocked it down by about 75%.
This isn't a tutorial on how to use ChatGPT. I'm just saying that it's ok to do it. You're not moving to the dark side. You're using it as a kick off point. It's a hell of a lot better than staring at a blank screen.
And this also isn't about copying and pasting what it spits out. You have to make it sound a bit more real. A bit less repetitive. A bit more like you... a bit more human.
Have a look at this.
I asked ChatGPT to write a script about starting a business and to compare it to mountain climbing. I spent about 45 minutes editing it so it "felt right", but I wouldn't have come up with some of the ideas contained within all by myself. Well, I might have, but it would have taken a lot longer.
An example.
Here's something ChatGPT gave me when I asked for 50 words about why ChatGPT is good for script writing.
ChatGPT is an invaluable tool for scriptwriting, offering flexibility, informed storytelling, and creative collaboration. With its vast knowledge base and adaptability to various genres, it empowers writers to explore diverse narratives and enhances efficiency and creativity in the scriptwriting process.
That's pretty good right?
But it feels a bit clinical, a bit cold. The words sound nice, but they don't feel nice. At least not to me.
ChatGPT is a really valuable tool for me as a scriptwriter. It offers flexibility, informed storytelling, and my favourite thing of all in this life... creative collaboration. With its mind blowingly large AI brain filled with knowledge, it has no issue switching between genres. It also empowers me to explore diverse narratives, that I might not have considered before and it enhances my efficiency tenfold.
See what I mean?
That whole process took me maybe 5 minutes.
Give prompt > ChatGPT spews out content > you edit it.
Make it uniquely you.
To hear more scripts I've written without AI, pop over to the voiceover demos page.
I've also got some tips on how to find voice over work and also how much you can earn as a voice over actor plus BRAND NEW (and something quite close to my heart), gift ideas for voice actors
Now you've got your free voiceover scripts... what about FREE VOICE OVERS?!
I'm guessing that you're here because you are somewhere on your VO journey that isn't near the end. You've probably got more questions - visit the voiceover frequently asked questions page and you might find answers to them! If you're looking for help with pricing, look at how much voice actors earn. If you need some business help then checkout my recommendations for the best books to help with your business.
Or if you're bored of practicing and you think you're ready to get yourself into the wide world of VO, check out the post about voiceover marketing techniques and voiceover casting sites. Then read about the importance of networking in business. There's always something else to learn. Absorb!