/voiceover-direction

name: voiceover-direction
description: "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. Use when: 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"
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: ClawFu
  version: 1.0.0
  mcp-server: "@clawfu/mcp-skills"

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

| Claude Does | You Decide | |-------------|------------| | Structures production workflow | Final creative direction | | Suggests technical approaches | Equipment and tool choices | | Creates templates and checklists | Quality standards | | Identifies best practices | Brand/voice decisions | | Generates script outlines | Final script approval |

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