In Ep 107 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by britishvoiceover.co.uk, Ruth Urquhart joins Sam and Mark to talk about terrible writing and what you can do with it without offending the client, there's a touch of scurvy about our reads, and we get stuck into THREE scripts for a change!
Our VO question this week is all about how to make a duff script sound better!
Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.uk
Script 1
In 1747, James Lind set up his study at sea: Twelve sailors suffering from scurvy were split into six groups with two men in each group. All six groups shared living quarters in the same end of the ship and were given the same diet during the course of the study, with the exception of six different treatments that Lind wanted to test.
The first group got cider. The second group got diluted sulfuric acid. The third group got vinegar. The fourth group got sea water. The fifth group got two oranges and a lemon. Finally, the last group got a purgative mixture of commonly used medicines.
Script 2a
She grasped her carefully embroidered reticule, a present from her beloved aunt Mary, given to her at Christmas, a gift that she treasured dearly, despite it’s garish colour, and stepped off the sidewalk into the busy London street, narrowly avoiding a huge puddle. She hailed a hackney which appeared suddenly through the fall gloom. The driver’s rough attire of sackcloth pants held up by suspenders looked filthy but she tried not to stare as he pulled his horses to a halt beside her.
‘Can you take me to Clarence House?’ she asked. The man grimaced.
’Clarence house be 5 blocks away, he growled in his distant London accent ‘ I ain’t got time, lady! I be workin’
Script 2b
As she walked she thought about her brawny Highlander, Hamish Campbell, the one who had proposed to her only a week ago and to whom she had run from despite her longing to be with him. ‘Doona go!’ he had pleaded earnestly, ‘I doona want to live without ye, I can no.’
His deep voice resonated in his head and she flushed to remember it. They had not been alone, his 5 cousins, Angus, Calum, Bret, Jed and Colin had witnessed the whole embarrassing episode there on the riverbank next to their little croft house in the little village of Firth on the banks of the river Forth.. she had stood right on the waters edge, the men behind her.
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About our guest:
Ruth is a trained actor and an experienced, award winning voice actor. Known as the Tartan Chameleon, she is extremely versatile. Being a native Scot with English parents effectively means she has two natural accents as well as a very good ear for many other dialects.
Ruth has narrated over 200 audio books to date as well as voicing animations, animes, commercials, games, corporate videos, film dubbing and documentaries. She lives in Scotland with her family and an array of rescue animals.
Resources: Click here for the Wildcard Generator and don't forget to think of an action your character can be doing!
Mark's demos & contact details: https://linktr.ee/britishvoiceovermark
Sam's demos & contact details: https://linktr.ee/samanthaboffin