Voiceover / TTS Script
Write a voiceover script tuned for spoken delivery — by a human VO artist or a text-to-speech engine — for a video, ad, explainer, or narration, with pacing, pronunciation, and timing baked in. Briefs the audience, runtime, and voice FIRST, then drafts a performance-ready script with scene/segment breaks, [pause] and emphasis cues, phonetic spellings for tricky words, and a per-segment word count that fits the target seconds. The brief-then-draft ordering ensures the script is written for the EAR and the clock, not the page — short sentences, read-aloud rhythm, and a runtime that actually fits.
Steps
Entry step: brief. Each step names the specialist role it wants; the full working prompt is expandable.
- Voiceover briefcopywriterentry
audience, runtime, voice/tone, pronunciation list
Show working prompt
Lock the brief BEFORE drafting. Step 1: capture the purpose, audience, and the single takeaway the listener must leave with. Step 2: set the target runtime in seconds and translate it to a word budget (~150 words/minute for natural narration; record the budget). Step 3: define the voice/tone (warm, authoritative, energetic) and the delivery (single narrator vs dialogue). Step 4: list tricky names/terms/numbers with their intended pronunciation (phonetic respelling) and how numbers/units should be spoken. Step 5: decide the segment structure (hook -> body beats -> CTA). Write an acceptance-criteria checklist (total words within ±10% of the budget, sentences short and read-aloud friendly, every segment has a target second count, pause/emphasis cues present, tricky words have phonetics, ends on the CTA) and decisions to `notes/brief.md` via write_task_note AND the produces path.
- Draft the scriptcopywriter
performance-ready script with cues, pacing, timing
Show working prompt
Write the performance-ready script to the brief. Step 1: structure it into labeled segments (e.g. `[0:00-0:08] HOOK`) each with a target second count and an inline running word count. Step 2: write for the ear — short declarative sentences, active voice, one idea per line, conversational rhythm; read each line aloud in your head and cut anything that trips the tongue. Step 3: add performance cues inline: `[pause]`, `[beat]`, emphasis via *asterisks* or CAPS-for-stress, and tone notes per segment. Step 4: use the brief's phonetic respellings for tricky words and write numbers/units as they should be SPOKEN (e.g. 'twenty twenty-six', 'three hundred dollars'). Step 5: end on the locked CTA. Write the full script to `voiceover-script.md` with the segment headers and a final total word count + estimated runtime. On a loop-back, fix only the flagged segments (over-budget, hard-to-say, missing cues).
- Evaluatereviewer
Grade the deliverable against every acceptance criterion. All pass → finish; any fail → loop back and fix the gap.
Show working prompt
Read it aloud and time it. Step 1: confirm total word count is within ±10% of the brief's budget and the stated runtime matches at ~150 wpm (PASS/FAIL). Step 2: confirm each segment is labeled with a target second count and the running counts add up. Step 3: read several lines aloud — are sentences short and natural, with no tongue-twisters? Step 4: confirm pause/emphasis cues are present and tricky words use the phonetic respellings. Step 5: confirm numbers are written spoken-style and it ends on the CTA. Write PASS/FAIL per criterion. Then route — this is the whole point of the loop: - **Every criterion PASSES →** call `advance_task_step({ ref, stepId: "evaluate", next: "finish" })`. - **Any criterion FAILS →** write the specific gaps to notes, then call `advance_task_step({ ref, stepId: "evaluate", next: "draft" })` to loop back. The builder fixes exactly those gaps. Never route to `finish` while any criterion is unmet. The build phase's completion gate already blocked a grossly-incomplete deliverable; your job is the judgment an automated check cannot make (does it actually work, read well, look right). After ~3 unproductive loops, stop and report DONE_WITH_CONCERNS so the user can step in. - Finishdeveloper
All acceptance criteria met. Stamp a short summary and report DONE.
Show working prompt
Every acceptance criterion passed. Write a one-paragraph DONE summary to task notes via `write_task_note`: what was built, the deliverable path(s), and a one-line confirmation that each criterion is met. Then report DONE.
Triggers
Phrases that suggest this craftbook to a crew.
- write a voiceover script
- narration script
- tts script
- script for a video
- explainer voiceover
Source
View this craftbook on GitHub · MIT license