How do you brief a voice-over on tone of voice?

The right tone of voice determines how your production comes across. An experienced voice-over can often tell from a script roughly how it should sound. But not always. And without a briefing, things can go wrong, even with the clearest script.

An example from my own practice: a script about municipal government, civil servants, meetings. Everything pointed to an informative animation. No briefing was sent, and because it seemed so obvious, I did not ask for one either. The maker turned out to have an epic trailer in mind, cinematic scenes, a matching deep voice. The recordings were redone and in the end they were happy, but it could have been avoided.

I have been a voice-over and audio engineer for over 30 years, and have recorded for Discovery Networks, Disney, KNVB, Philips and Samsung, among others. A good briefing does not have to be long, but in practice it often saves a second recording. These are the most common ways.

In the Dutch production market, both Dutch and English terms are used. Wervend (persuasive), zakelijk (businesslike), fris (fresh), vertrouwenwekkend (trustworthy). Or: hard sell, corporate, upbeat, trustworthy. These terms speak for themselves. A short message with two or three pointers is usually enough.

What often adds extra nuance is saying what it should not be.

“Businesslike, but not cold.”
“Selling, but not shouty.”
“Reassuring, but not patronising.”

One addition like that says more than a whole description.

Even clearer than words is a reference. Point to an existing clip, for example from one of the demos on stemharmen.nl. There are plenty of clips to choose from. Do say which clip from which demo you mean.

“That fourth bit of the energetic upbeat demo. That is exactly what we are after.”

Then there is nothing left open to interpretation.

On my site you will find the ScriptChecker. Paste your text into it and click Analyseer (analyse). Based on the text, you get an automatic briefing that you can adjust and send on right away.

A five-minute call before the recording works really well. We look together at what fits best and get it right in one go. My number is below.

The way a text sounds: pace, energy, warmth and attitude. The same text can be recorded in a businesslike, persuasive or reassuring way.

Two or three direction words, what it should not be, and if possible a reference clip. Also mention the required length and the pronunciation of names.

Short. A few lines is usually enough.

The voice-over works out the tone from the script. That often goes well, but not always. A wrong call means a new recording.

Yes. Name the demo and which clip in it you mean. That is the clearest briefing there is.