Narrators have limited opportunities to work with a director; and even when recording in a mainstream studio, there is rarely sufficient time to delve deep into the text, to develop the performance or to refine characters. Without an extended rehearsal period, the recording process is more a day trip than a voyage of discovery. Of course there will be discussions about the detail, but much of the work has already been completed by the time the production team and the narrator step into the studio, and at that point the pressure is on to produce X number of finished hours in the working day.
Imagine then, how wonderful if would be to work one-to-one with a director over an extended period; to have the time to dig deep into a piece of text, to un-peel the layers of a story, to discover how to unravel the clues from the layout of a page, to work on attitude, power dynamics, motivation and personality to create vibrant narrative and compelling and believable characters. This is what working on a one-to-one direction session can achieve. Whether you’re refining samples for a website, an audition piece, the opening chapters of a book, or even the first fifteen minutes of a project — connecting with a second pair of ears, with someone who knows how audiobooks work, who can guide and question and will help polish a narration is an exhilarating and illuminating experience.
I offer thirty minute, one and two hour long director sessions and also direct complete projects, including dual and duet and multi-voice narration. When a narrator feels stuck in a rut, connecting with a director throughout the recording of an entire book, collaborating and supporting, can be a game changer. For longer projects, I charge a PFH rate, so please enquire for further details if this is something you’re interested in.
