Voiceover script with pacing notes and emotional direction for brand storytelling

# Voiceover Script **Brand:** Meridian — outdoor adventure gear for everyday explorers **Video type:** Brand anthem / manifesto video **Duration:** 90 seconds **Emotional arc:** Quiet reflection → building conviction → warm invitation --- ## VO TALENT PROFILE **Gender:** Female **Age range:** 35-45 **Vocal quality:** Warm alto, slightly weathered (like she's told a lot of stories around campfires). Think: the voice of someone who is genuinely wise but would never describe herself that way. Not polished broadcast — real, with slight imperfections. Regional accent acceptable (Pacific Northwest, Colorado, Northern California). **Reference voices:** Frances McDormand (narration style), Brené Brown (conversational warmth) **Anti-references:** NOT breathy whisper VO, NOT corporate narrator, NOT "cool girl" advertising voice --- ## SCRIPT WITH DIRECTION ### SECTION 1: THE QUESTION (0:00-0:25) [EMOTION: Quiet, reflective, almost intimate — like thinking out loud] [MUSIC CUE: Single acoustic guitar note, sustained. Ambient room tone underneath.] [SOUND DESIGN: Very distant bird call. Wind through trees, barely audible.] [SLOW] "You don't remember the last time you stood somewhere [PAUSE 1s] and just **looked**." [BREATHE] "Not at a screen. Not at a notification. Not at the little red number that tells you someone, somewhere, needs something from you." [PAUSE 2s] [SOUND DESIGN: Phone notification sound, very faint, then fading to nothing] "Just [PAUSE 0.5s] **looked**. [PAUSE 1s] At a ridgeline. [PAUSE 0.5s] At the way light moves across water. [PAUSE 0.5s] At something that was there long before you and will be there long after." [MUSIC CUE: Second guitar note enters, forming a simple interval. A low cello drone begins, barely perceptible.] --- ### SECTION 2: THE RECOGNITION (0:25-0:50) [EMOTION: Shift from reflective to gently urgent — she's identified something important] [MUSIC CUE: Gentle finger-picked guitar pattern begins. Cello rises slightly. Add very soft percussion — a single hand drum, heartbeat rhythm.] [SOUND DESIGN: Footsteps on gravel trail, rhythm matching the percussion] [QUICKEN slightly — building energy but still controlled] "There's a version of you that used to do that. That used to walk outside not because a watch told you to, not because you needed to hit a step count, but because [PAUSE 0.5s] your body knew it **needed** to." [BREATHE] "That version of you didn't call it 'getting outdoors.' Didn't call it a 'wellness practice' or a 'digital detox.' [PAUSE 1s]" [SLOW] "That version of you just [PAUSE 0.5s] **went**." [PAUSE 2s] [MUSIC CUE: Brief silence — all instruments drop out for 1.5 seconds. Then return with added warmth: second guitar, cello more prominent, add a subtle synthesizer pad.] --- ### SECTION 3: THE INVITATION (0:50-1:15) [EMOTION: Warm conviction — she's not selling, she's reminding you of something you already know] [MUSIC CUE: Full arrangement now — guitars, cello, light percussion, warm pad. Building but never bombastic. Think Bon Iver, not Hans Zimmer.] [SOUND DESIGN: Running water (stream), wind in pines, footsteps transitioning from gravel to soft earth] "We make gear for **that** person. [PAUSE 0.5s] The one who's still in there." [BREATHE] "Not for summiting Everest. Not for ultramarathons or sponsored expeditions. For the Saturday morning when you wake up and think [PAUSE 0.5s] 'I should go **somewhere**.'" [QUICKEN slightly] "For the trail behind your house that you've driven past a hundred times. For the lake you keep meaning to visit. For the overnight trip you've been planning in your head for **three years**." [PAUSE 1s] [SLOW — each word deliberate] "We make the gear that removes every excuse [PAUSE 0.5s] between you [PAUSE 0.5s] and the door." [MUSIC CUE: Brief swell — the emotional peak of the piece. Then pull back for the close.] --- ### SECTION 4: THE CLOSE (1:15-1:30) [EMOTION: Simple, warm, no pretense — like a friend gently nudging you] [MUSIC CUE: Strip back to just guitar and cello. Let it breathe. Music should feel like an exhale.] [SOUND DESIGN: Wind. Just wind. And maybe one bird. The sound of being outside, already there.] [SLOW — this is the most important line] "You don't need to go far. [PAUSE 2s] You just need to **go**." [PAUSE 2s] [Nearly a whisper — intimate, conspiratorial, warm] "Meridian. [PAUSE 1s] Your outside is closer than you think." [MUSIC CUE: Guitar resolves to a final chord. Hold for 3 seconds. Fade with ambient wind continuing for 2 seconds after music ends.] --- ## PRODUCTION NOTES ### Recording Direction - Record in a treated room but NOT a dead booth — we want a tiny bit of natural room tone to match the organic feel - Have talent stand, not sit — standing voices have more diaphragm support and authority - Encourage the talent to actually close their eyes during the reflective sections - Record each section as a complete take (not line by line) to maintain emotional continuity - Plan for 15-20 takes. The right read will come around take 8-12 when the talent stops "performing" and starts "talking" ### Pacing Benchmarks - Section 1: Approximately 45 words in 25 seconds = very slow, ~108 WPM - Section 2: Approximately 72 words in 25 seconds = moderate, ~173 WPM - Section 3: Approximately 95 words in 25 seconds = slightly faster, ~228 WPM - Section 4: Approximately 28 words in 15 seconds = very slow, ~112 WPM The arc is slow → medium → slightly faster → very slow. The pacing itself tells the story: reflection → recognition → excitement → resolution. ### Common Mistakes to Avoid - Don't let the talent "smile" the last line. It should be warm but matter-of-fact. - Don't over-emphasize "Meridian." The brand name should be the quietest word in the script, not the loudest. - Don't rush the pauses. The silences carry as much meaning as the words. - If the talent starts sounding like a commercial at any point, take a break. Have them tell you about the last time they actually went for a walk outside. Then record immediately after.