Voiceover Direction

Master the art of directing voice talent to deliver performances that match your brand vision, using Anne Ganguzza's storytelling approach and industry best practices.

When to Use This Skill

• Hiring and briefing voiceover artists for a project
• Giving direction during recording sessions
• Writing scripts that are easy for talent to deliver
• Matching voice characteristics to brand personality
• Reviewing auditions and selecting the right talent
• Improving the quality of existing voiceover work

Methodology Foundation

Source: Anne Ganguzza (VO Coach) + Industry Best Practices

Core Principle: "Voice actors aren't just readers; they're actors. Your job as director is to give them the emotional context and story to tell, not just words to read." Great voiceover direction focuses on intention, not inflection—tell the talent WHY they're saying something, not HOW to say it.

Why This Matters: The difference between amateur and professional content is often the voiceover. A skilled voice artist with poor direction sounds worse than a mediocre talent with excellent direction. Learning to direct voice talent transforms your video and audio content quality immediately.

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

What This Skill Does

1. Creates effective VO briefs - Documents that give talent everything they need
2. Casts the right voice - Matching voice characteristics to brand and audience
3. Writes speakable scripts - Copy that sounds natural when spoken
4. Directs sessions effectively - Getting the performance you need
5. Gives actionable feedback - Direction that improves takes, not confuses

How to Use

Create a VO Brief

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

Review a Script for Speakability

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

Prepare Session Direction Notes

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]

Instructions

When directing voiceover, follow this methodology:

Step 1: Create the VO Brief

Before reaching out to talent, document everything they need to know.

## 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]

Key consideration: The more specific your brief, the faster you find the right talent.

Step 2: Write Speakable Copy

Scripts for voiceover must be written for the ear, not the eye.

## 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

Example Script Formatting:

[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.

Step 3: Cast the Right Voice

Matching voice to brand requires systematic evaluation.

## 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 Request Template:

## 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)

Step 4: Direct the Session

Live direction is about creating the conditions for great performance.

## 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 contex