Video Game Voice Acting Script · Briefing plus combat barks
Hold the Bridge
Record combat barks and a briefing from a battle-weary squad commander in this video game voice lines script. Cover, reload, ally down, and more.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Length
- 133 words · ~53 sec
- Skills
- vocal stamina, shouting safely, emotional control, short-line delivery
- License
- CC BY 4.0
The script
(briefing, tired, low)Listen up. I know you're tired. I'm tired. We've held this bridge for three days, and tonight they're going to throw everything they've got left at it.
We're not here to win. We're here to last till sunrise. Relief column crosses at first light, and they need this bridge standing when they do.
So you keep your heads down, you watch your corners, and you watch each other. Nobody plays hero. Heroes don't make it to breakfast.
(quieter)Get some water in you. Five minutes.
(combat bark: taking cover)Contact left! Get behind the wall, now!
(combat bark: reloading)Reloading! Somebody cover me!
(combat bark: ally down)Medic! I need a medic on the east side! Hang on, Tam, I've got you, I've got you.
(combat bark: enemy retreating)They're falling back! Hold! Hold your fire, don't chase them!
(after the battle, breathless)...Is that the sun? Huh. Would you look at that.
Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0. Original script drafted with AI assistance and edited by SceneDub; any resemblance to existing characters is coincidental.
Practise it now
The teleprompter scrolls at the speed you set in words per minute. Tick "Record audio while reading" to capture a take; the audio stays in your browser until you download it.
Coaching notes
- Don't open the briefing with a big military bark. 'I know you're tired. I'm tired.' is the commander being honest, so keep it low and level, like you're talking to people you'd do anything for.
- Barks get trimmed and dropped into chaos, so each needs a clean start and stop. Commit to full volume on 'Contact left!' while keeping your throat open; push from the breath, not the neck.
- The ally-down bark changes halfway. 'Medic!' is thrown out across the field; 'Hang on, Tam' turns inward, close and shaky, to one person.
Try it three more ways
- Play Vale as a green, newly promoted officer trying hard to sound like the veterans.
- Play Vale as a gravel-voiced old soldier who's done this a hundred times and finds dark humor in all of it.
- Play the whole set as a fantasy knight-captain defending a castle gate with crossbows and swords.
Take it further
More scripts to practise
Frequently asked questions
How long is the "Hold the Bridge" script?
133 spoken words, about 53 sec at a conversational 150 words per minute and 1 min 1 sec at a slower 130 wpm. Your take will vary with pauses and character choices.
Can I use this script in my voice acting demo reel?
Yes. SceneDub's original scripts are licensed CC BY 4.0. You can perform, record, edit, and publish them, including in demo reels, classes, and auditions, as long as you credit "Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0" where you share the recording or the text.
How should I practise this script?
Read it silently once, then perform it with the direction above: battle-weary authority, protective, measured briefing at ~135 words per minute; barks short and sharp. Record a take with the teleprompter, listen back, and try one of the alternate reads to stretch your range.