Essentially, a narration script develops a story or a tale. Narratives can be presented through a sequence of written or spoken words, still or moving images, or any combination of these.
Narratives developed from oral storytelling as the earliest form of sharing narratives. As the forms of presenting narratives developed, so did the narrative scripts. In our current times, narrative scripts are widely used for audiobooks, a modern version of oral storytelling, or for so-called voice-overs.
According to some online instructional sites for writers, voice-over narration essentially “works as an unseen voice (or voices) to explain the story of a video, accompanied and enhanced by complementary moving images.” Some videos consist only of VO to go with the images. Other combine sections of VO with “lip-synch live-action,” meaning we see and hear someone speaking on the video.
When writing a narration script, its author must consider a number of elements:
- picking the right story – a narrative script must have a strong, compelling story, no matter what its subject is:
- keeping the plot simple – including too many ’subplots’ complicates the flow of a story and can be hard for the potential audience to follow;
- speaking from the narrator’s point of view – the author “may want to get into the brain and mind of your narrator by literally trying to “become” him or her in a theatrical, physical way;”
- informing oneself about the subject matter as much as possible – writing, say, a fairy tale narrative script, involves getting to know the genre of fairy tales in detail, including reading quite a few of them ahead of writing the script;
- reading the written script aloud yourself – getting the right flow of the text, the order of the words should be an integral part of the writing of any script.
Writing narration scripts for fairy tales – getting to know the genre
According to The National Strategies, “fairy tales are found in most cultures and many derive from the oldest stories ever told. New fairy tales are still being written today although some of these texts with fairy-tale elements (such as The Hobbit) could be included in the more recently categorized genre of fantasy.”
In many cases, fairy tales and fantasy stories are tailored or adapted according to the target audience. While children and young adults are often the main readers or listeners and viewers of fairy tales, other generations are now excluded as a target audience. Even more so the so-called fantasy category, like the Harry Potter series of novels is more geared towards a more mature audience.
Fairy tales in most cases include a number of familiar themes:
- magic and skill;
- good and evil;
- rich and poor;
- old and young;
- friend and foe;
- just and unjust, and quite a few others (as listed in the above).
“The stories tell the adventures of people in the land of fairy folk so plots usually include the use of magic, fantastic forces, and fanciful creatures. Sometimes the inhabitants of the magical land of ‘faerie’ venture into the world of humans and this disruption of the status quo trigger a far-fetched sequence of events. Enchantments are common and rule-breaking has consequences.”
As far as characters are concerned, on one side they include human characters (hero, villain, mentor, trickster, sage, etc.). On the other, they also “include a wide range of magical folk including animals or creatures who may have mystical powers yet behave with human characteristics.”
magic and skill; safe and dangerous; good and evil; weak and strong; rich and poor; wise and foolish; old and young; beautiful and ugly; mean and generous; just and unjust; friend and foe; family/home and stranger/far away; the origins of the Earth, its people, and animals; the relationship between people and the seen or unseen world around them.
Styles of fairy tale narration scripts and examples
Style-wise, “fairy tales include good examples of the repetitive, rhythmic and patterned language of traditional stories.”
- rich, evocative vocabulary;
- the language of the fairy world (magic spells, etc.);
- the spoken language of the ordinary people (dialogue, regional accent, and expressions);
- memorable language (rhyme, repetition);
- formulaic openings and endings.
These are the general guidelines that a fairy tale narrative script should look like, In general, when engaging a voice actor or actors to record a narrative script of any genre, a potential customer has one ready beforehand. But, sometimes he only has an idea with just a few broad ideas about what it should include.
In that case, he might engage a professional agency to produce such a script or even a few versions of it. If such an agency can both provide professionally written scripts and engage voice actors like BunnyStudio, it just might be the best solution to their needs.
Further on, we present you with possible sample scripts for three fairy tales/fantasy stories. Also included are possible 60, 30, and 15-second excerpts of how such a narrative script can read and sound like.
Narration script example 1: A pauper turns into a fearless prince – story programming and its scenario
Client: Bedtime Stories Audiobooks
Voice Age: Young Adult (18-35)
Gender: Male or Female
Target audience: pre-school and elementary school children (3-9)
Job description:
We require a narrator for an audiobook narrator to perform both the narration and the dialogue for this short fairy tale. You can read the synopsis here:
A teenage village pauper is taken as an apprentice by a wizard from the nearby forest. After his apprenticeship, the pauper, now in his twenties, becomes a fearsome knight, who decides to relieve the nearby castle, that is held captive by Isador, an evil dragon that can change its form into a human. During his struggle, he falls in love with the princess from a castle. After he defeats the dragon and frees the castle, he marries the princess and becomes the ruler of the local dominion.
Art Direction:
Younger children weaned on bedtime stories are used to listening to one voice that changes its character reading the story. The voice actor for this job should feel comfortable reading al the envisioned parts: the narrator, the pauper/knight dialogue, as well as the wizard, princes, and other envisaged dialogue. We’re looking for someone who can pull off different character voices to help the listener distinguish between the characters and the narrator.
The tale is set in early medieval times but should include the elements of more modern language that the targeted audience is used to. Imaginative playful elements and a combination of a medieval and contemporary spin are also desired.
Category: Audiobooks
Industry: Publishing
Style: Enchanting, Narrator, Whimsical
Language: English
Accent: North American and British English
Word Count: 124, 61, 27
Example 1: script and sound samples
60-Second Fairy Tale Sample Script:
As he was gulping his meal, the pauper noticed that wizard was gazing upon him with a stern look.
He was hungry and wanted to have as much food as he could in a short time, but he also wondered why the wizard was upset with him.
Looking at the wizard, he stopped eating for a moment, as if asking him: “What?”
“Son, you will get nowhere if you are not tempered. Patience is the mother of knowledge, but also of a well-filled belly. Slow down, and enjoy each bite. You never know when the next one will come around.”
He didn’t think for a moment as he dug his head into his plate until suddenly he felt the plate become burning hot.
30-Second Fairy Tale Sample Script:
When the princess walked in as if a bright white light lit the hall. He has never seen anybody like her. She was stunningly beautiful, and as if the bright light was shining all around her, and for a second, he thought she had wings of an angel.
“Hello!” Was all she said in her gentle voice as she passed by.
15-Second Fairy Tale Sample Script:
As he suddenly changed from a human into a dragon, Isador’s voice boomed at him:
“Get away you weakling, or I’ll burn you alive in a second!
Narration script example 2: Magic hat story series – story programming and its scenario
Client: Magic Hat Productions
Voice Age: Young Adult (18-35), Adult (30-55)
Gender: Female that can also perform young male voice
Target audience: pre-teen and younger teen (9-15)
Job description:
A versed and experienced narrator should take on this job that can perform all the nuances of this script, which is part of the Magic Hat series.
The story follows the further adventures of a teenage girl who has discovered a magic hat in his grandparent’s attic. Using the hat in times of need, the teenage girl and her school mate go through a series of adventures.
This time around, they end up in a strange land, where, with the use of the magic hat, they are able to free two of their school friends that were held in captivity.
Art Direction:
The narrator of this story should be comfortable playing a number of pre-teens and/or early teen voices that appear in this story. The listeners should be able to make a distinction between the characters and the narrator. The narrator should also be able to speak a few words or complete sentences in an imaginary foreign language.
The story is set in modern times but involves elements of magic and wizardry that the narrator is able to accentuate. The knowledge and use of modern terminology are desired.
Category: Audiobooks
Industry: Publishing
Style: Modern, Narrator, Whimsical
Language: English
Accent: English
Word Count: 113, 66, 39
Example 2: script and sound samples
60-Second Fairy Tale Sample Script:
It all looked a bit off-kilter. Sure, everybody was wearing similar clothes and had a similar look, but it all still had an element of unfamiliarity.
The first thing they noticed was that as they stood on the corner of that busy street, everybody seemed to give them a strange look.
“Where did we end up, after all,” Johnny hushed his question into her ear.
“I’ve no idea either,” whispered Cindy, “I guess the hat will have to do one of its tricks,” she continued as she was donning her grandpa’s half-cylinder onto her head.
But, in a second, as she saw Johnny’s jaw drop, something else grabbed her attention.
30-Second Fairy Tale Sample Script:
As the sun was going down, they were reaching the guarded bulging where their friends were held.
“So be ga dun,” they heard one of the guards speak to the other.
“Put on the hat so we can understand what’s going on, whimpered Johnny into her ear.
“Just a sec, I have to kneel so they don’t spot us,” she replied as quietly as she could.
15-Second Fairy Tale Sample Script:
As she put the magic hat on, Cindy could see everything behind the thick wall that was in front of them. As if it was not a moonless night, the room lit up as if the floodlights were on.
Narration script example 3: A time passage mirror – story programming and its scenario
Client: Wizardry Audiobooks
Voice Age: Young Adult (18-35), Adult (30-55)
Gender: Male
Target audience: pre-teen and teenage (8-16)
Job description:
We are looking for a narrator that can sustain an interesting tone of voice through reading the complete script. He should also be able to pick up elements of different characters in the story.
In his boarding school dorm, Peter discovers a strange mirror that turns out to actually be a time-traveling device, which he is only able to activate. This time around, he ends up in the times of King Arthur and the Nights of The Round Table.
Art Direction:
The narrator of this story should be comfortable at reading the story at the same pace, as well as acting out dialogue parts of the script. The listeners do not necessarily have to make a distinction between the characters and the narrator.
The story is briefly set in modern times at the beginning and the end, but mainly takes place in pre-medieval times (5th and 6th century), it includes involves elements of magic and wizardry that the narrator is able to accentuate. The knowledge and use of both modern and old English language terminology are essential.
Category: Audiobooks
Industry: Publishing
Style: Narrator
Language: Modern English, British English with elements of old English
Accent: English
Word Count: 120, 62, 34
Example 3: script and sound samples
60-Second Fairy Tale Sample Script:
As the sun has set, he was bursting with excitement about his discovery. He set aside the thoughts about why nobody else of his roommates could activate the mirror’s time-traveling abilities and concentrated on where he will end up as he passes through the mirror’s magical doors.
Still, he had to wait for everybody to fall sound asleep. As he heard the heavy breathing of his mates, he got up as slowly as he could.
He dressed, on his toes, walked towards the mirror, and then placed his right hand at the bottom of the mirror.
The door opened. As he walked through, he could only sense that he was in the thick of a dark, forest at nightfall.
30-Second Fairy Tale Sample Script:
He hit the narrow path. Which way should he go? As he was contemplating, he heard a gallop of horses coming toward him. Should he try to stop them or should he run scared?
No chance to think, as three knights in full armor were already standing in from of him. In a second, he realized they were staring at his clothing.
15-Second Fairy Tale Sample Script:
As he was approaching the sword stuck in the stone, he heard voices laughing out loud: “Go ahead lad, you are the one!” As he was getting closer, the chuckles and sneering got louder.
In brief:
To prepare a fairy tale narration script has its general and specific elements. On one hand, it entails following some of the general guidelines as if writing such a script in any other genre. On the other, it includes some of the specific elements, as is described above. Informing oneself about the fairy tale/fantasy genre before you start writing is quite essential. So is reading a solid number of fairy tales/fantasy stories.
But, if you intend to write a narration script by combining with your other regular duties, it might be wise to consider professional writing help, particularly if you plan to engage a professional voice actor to read the script. Still, if you decide you will opt for professional help both in writing a narrative script, as well as engaging a voice actor, Bunny Studio is always a one-stop solution to consider.
