Help me create a voiceover brief for [project type].
Brand: [brand name/description]
Audience: [target audience]
Tone: [desired tone]
Length: [script length/duration]

Review this script for voiceover delivery:
[paste script]
Make it sound more natural and easier to perform.

I have a VO session tomorrow. Help me prepare direction notes.
Script: [paste or describe]
Talent: [describe if known]
Key moments: [specific lines that need attention]

## Voiceover Brief Template

### Project Overview
**Project name**:
**Format**: [Explainer video / Commercial / E-learning / Audiobook / etc.]
**Duration**: [total runtime]
**Usage**: [Where will this be used? Rights needed?]

### Brand Context
**Company**: [Brief description]
**Brand personality**: [3-5 adjectives]
**Existing voice references**: [Links to previous VO work, if any]
**Competing brands to avoid sounding like**: [if relevant]

### Target Audience
**Who**: [Demographics, psychographics]
**Their relationship to brand**: [New customer? Loyal fan? Skeptical?]
**Emotional state when watching**: [Busy? Relaxed? Stressed?]

### Voice Specifications
**Gender preference**: [Any / Male / Female / Non-binary]
**Age range**: [Vocal age, not literal age]
**Accent**: [Specific requirements]
**Tone**: [Warm, authoritative, playful, urgent, etc.]
**Pace**: [Conversational, quick, measured, etc.]
**Energy level**: [1-10 scale]

### Reference Examples
**Sound-alike references**: [Links to similar VO that captures desired tone]
**Anti-references**: [What you DON'T want—examples of wrong direction]

### Practical Details
**Script attached**: [Yes/No]
**Word count**:
**Estimated read time**: [Rule: ~150 words per minute]
**Deadline**:
**Budget**: [Range]
**Revisions included**: [Number]

## Script Preparation Checklist

### Structure
□ Short sentences (15 words max)
□ One idea per sentence
□ Natural contractions (don't, won't, it's)
□ Breathing room built in (punctuation, line breaks)

### Readability
□ Read aloud 3x before finalizing
□ No tongue twisters or awkward consonant clusters
□ Complex words spelled phonetically in parentheses
□ Numbers written as words (three million, not 3,000,000)
□ Acronyms spelled out with pronunciation guide

### Delivery Cues
□ Key emphasis words underlined or bolded
□ [Pause] markers where needed
□ (Tone shift notes in parentheses)
□ Section breaks clearly marked

### Timing
□ Word count noted per section
□ Target duration calculated (÷ 150 WPM)
□ 10-15% buffer for natural delivery

[OPENING - Warm, curious]

Ever wonder why some companies just... get it?

[PAUSE]

They know exactly what you need (beat) before you do.

[SHIFT TO - Confident, energetic]

That's the power of DataFlow. Our AI doesn't just analyze your customers—
it anticipates them.

## Voice Casting Criteria

### Acoustic Qualities
- **Pitch**: Low, medium, high
- **Resonance**: Chest voice, head voice, balanced
- **Texture**: Smooth, gravelly, breathy, clear
- **Presence**: Intimate/close, broadcast/distant

### Performance Qualities
- **Warmth**: Cold → Warm scale
- **Authority**: Peer → Expert scale
- **Energy**: Calm → Dynamic scale
- **Authenticity**: Polished → Conversational scale

### Brand Alignment Questions
1. Does this voice sound like our brand would sound?
2. Would our target audience trust this voice?
3. Does it stand out from competitors?
4. Can this voice grow with our brand?
5. Is there versatility for different content types?

## Audition Instructions

Please record the following selection in TWO different reads:

**Read 1**: [Primary direction, e.g., "warm and conversational, like explaining to a friend"]

**Read 2**: [Alternate direction, e.g., "slightly more authoritative, like a trusted advisor"]

Selected script excerpt:
[30-60 seconds of representative copy]

Technical requirements:
- WAV or AIFF format, 44.1kHz, 16-bit minimum
- Dry recording (no effects)
- Clean room tone at the end (3 seconds of silence)

## Session Direction Framework

### Opening (5 minutes)
- Thank them, build rapport
- Share the context they need (not everything)
- Describe the listener/viewer
- Set the emotional intention

### First Take
- "Let's do a full take so I can hear your instincts"
- Don't interrupt the first read
- Note specific moments to address

### Direction Techniques

**DO - Give intention, not inflection**:
✓ "This person just solved a problem that's been bugging them for months"
✓ "You're sharing a secret with your best friend"
✓ "This is the moment they've been waiting to hear"

**DON'T - Give line readings**:
✗ "Make it go UP at the end"
✗ "Emphasize THIS word"
✗ "Slower on that part"

**DO - Use emotional anchors**:
✓ "Remember how you felt when..."
✓ "Imagine you're telling your kid about..."
✓ "This is the 'finally!' moment"

### Common Adjustments
- **Too announcer-y**: "Throw it away more. Like you're just telling me."
- **Too flat**: "What's exciting about this for you?"
- **Too much**: "Let the words do the work. You don't have to sell so hard."
- **Wrong pace**: "Take your time. The viewer isn't going anywhere."
- **Missing emotion**: "Before this line, take a breath and think about [emotional context]"

## Feedback Framework

### Structure Your Notes

**Timestamp**: Line or timecode
**Current issue**: What's happening now
**Desired change**: What you want instead
**Why**: The story reason (not just preference)

### Examples of Good vs. Bad Feedback

❌ Bad: "Line 3 doesn't sound right"
✓ Good: "Line 3 ('We're different') - currently sounds defensive. Could we try it more confident, like stating a fact they already know?"

❌ Bad: "More energy"
✓ Good: "The middle section (0:45-1:15) feels like you're reading. Can you imagine you just discovered this and you're excited to share it?"

❌ Bad: "Make it warmer"
✓ Good: "On the opening line, I'm hearing 'CEO addressing shareholders.' Can we try 'friend giving advice over coffee?'"

### Pickup Session Template

Hi [Talent name],

Thanks for the great session! A few pickups:

1. **Line 5** ("Our platform integrates...") - Let's try this more conversational, like you're answering a question someone just asked.

2. **Line 12** ("Get started today") - Currently a bit pushy. Can we try it as an invitation, not a command?

3. **Wild line**: Can you give me one natural, unscripted version of the closing? Just in your own words.

Please deliver by [date]. Let me know if any direction is unclear!

## Before Sending to Talent

□ Project type and duration clearly stated
□ Brand personality described (not just adjectives)
□ Target audience emotional state explained
□ Voice specifications are specific and realistic
□ 2-3 sound-alike references included
□ Anti-references provided (what NOT to sound like)
□ Script formatted for speakability
□ Budget and timeline clear
□ Usage rights specified
□ Revision policy stated

## Before Recording

□ Read aloud 3 times
□ Sentences under 15 words
□ Contractions used naturally
□ Complex words have pronunciation guides
□ Numbers written as words
□ Breathing room marked
□ Emphasis cues are minimal (trust the talent)
□ Timing calculated with 15% buffer
□ Client approval received

## Quick Direction Phrases

**To reduce energy**:
- "Throw it away"
- "Just say it"
- "Less is more here"

**To add warmth**:
- "Like you're sharing a secret"
- "Smile as you say it"
- "Talk to one person, not an audience"

**To build authority**:
- "State it as fact"
- "You know this to be true"
- "No need to convince, just inform"

**To fix pacing**:
- "Land on that word before moving on"
- "Take a breath there"
- "Let that sink in"

**To get natural delivery**:
- "Tell me in your own words"
- "Forget the script for a second"
- "What's exciting about this to you?"

name: voiceover-direction
category: audio
subcategory: voiceover
version: 1.0
author: MKTG Skills
source_expert: Anne Ganguzza, Industry Best Practices
source_work: VO Boss Podcast, Industry Standards
difficulty: intermediate
estimated_value: $200-500 per session (equivalent coaching)
tags: [voiceover, direction, talent, casting, video-production]
created: 2026-01-26
updated: 2026-01-26