Prepare material that represents the actual work
Choose lines the project genuinely needs to support. A calm narrator requires a different test from an excitable quiz host, and a recurring character needs more than a striking introduction. Include context about who is listening and what response the speaker wants.
Keep the shared test short enough that reviewers can listen carefully more than once. If one candidate receives different direction, record it. Otherwise you may attribute a useful performance change to the voice when it actually came from a better brief.
Copy the audition and decision record
Write intentions as actions such as reassure, challenge or admit. Describe the desired effect before asking for a particular speed or emphasis. Leave room to note a targeted follow-up test instead of forcing an immediate choice from uncertain evidence.
Use the pronunciation field for names and invented places that must recur. Preserve the approved wording and a reference recording where available.
PROJECT / CHARACTER OR NARRATOR:
AUDITION SET VERSION:
ROLE / LISTENER / RELATIONSHIP:
STABLE PERFORMANCE TRAITS:
LINE A - ORDINARY DELIVERY:
CONTEXT / INTENTION A:
LINE B - EMOTIONAL CHANGE:
CONTEXT / INTENTION B:
LINE C - NAMES OR DIFFICULT TERMS:
PRONUNCIATION NOTES:
CANDIDATE ID:
OBSERVATIONS (clarity, intention, range, repeatability):
FOLLOW-UP TEST NEEDED:
SELECTED DIRECTION / REASON:
ACCEPTED REFERENCE / DECISION OWNER:Worked illustration: a ferry captain’s range
This fictional example compares two modes of the same character without asking for an exaggerated transformation. The captain’s speech should remain recognisable when authority gives way to responsibility. Reviewers can hear whether the performance changes for a reason.
The observation describes a moment rather than declaring that one candidate is universally better. That makes the choice easier to discuss and repeat.
Turn the decision into a production reference
After selection, record the performance qualities to preserve and the range that remains available. Attach the approved test and include any pronunciation decisions in the character or narrator notes. Keep audition alternatives labelled so they are not mistaken for current direction.
Test a new line with the saved brief before expanding production. If it drifts, identify whether the missing information is intention, relationship or delivery. Update the direction with a specific example, then review the new result instead of accumulating vague adjectives.
Questions & answers
Should reviewers rank every candidate numerically?
A simple scoring grid can organise observations, but keep written reasons. A total score can hide a serious weakness in the one performance requirement the project depends on.
Can one voice cover several roles?
Evaluate each role’s clarity and relationship in the actual scene. Do not assume that a good isolated audition establishes whether multiple characters will remain distinguishable in conversation.
Explore the workflow with your own idea.