(Auditions for this project are now closed. Thanks to everyone who took part!)
Project information
Hello folks.
My name's Ben Hennessy. I'm the author of a recently published fantasy adventure novel, Queen of the World. As part of an effort to do some fun and interesting promotional work, we're looking to grab a couple of aspiring voice actors for an audio only chapter reading, which will be used to advertise the novel. In return, those involved will be given full credit wherever this is posted, and in the event that an associated video is made (for Youtube or whatever), then names and contact details for further work will again be provided.
What we need is one male and one male/female actor. The former is for dialogue, the latter is for narration. I'm easy with a male or female narrator, so the best audition will get the role.
Since this is a side project I'm undertaking myself with a few friends, there is unfortunately no payment other than full credit and links on my website as well as anywhere we post the result. However, if you're based in the UK, we're happy to have you come down to record with me and the sound engineer if you wish, where we'll provide both professional recording gear and a couch for the night, as well as a crate of beer. The point of this is to have some fun and get a little extra in our respective portfolios. :)
To get an idea of the tone and setting of the novel, you can take a look at the free sample of Queen of the World over at Amazon, where you'll find the first three chapters. Here's the link.
Audition deadline
We're accepting auditions up to August 31st 2012. A date for the recording will be given to the successful applicant. If for any reason the date changes, then this post will be updated. We are NOT running a first-come-first-served audition, but since this is an amateur production we might have to shorten or extend the timeframe depending on everyone's schedules.
Recording and Contact information
-Record in MP3, WAV or WMA. Quality depends on your gear, but obviously the higher the quality the better you'll sound. ;)
-Save the lines as "rolehere_yourname_line#.filename"
-Send your auditions to ben@hennessywrites.com
Characters
MALE
Name: Kanderil
Age: Late 30's.
Bio: Kanderil is a huge man. Standing around seven feet tall and hugely built, he is an incredibly intimidating man. A former military officer who retired to take up the life of a hermit, living in the surrounding forests and mountains. He values honour, pride and strength of character over anything else. He is also extremely self confident, but lacks the arrogance this often brings. Having distanced himself from society for a number of years, he now prefers his own company and can be rather blunt and ignorant of others. He is a man of few words generally, and speaks in a steady, measured voice with no contractions. ('We are', never 'We're'.) He is also generally quite stoic and patient, but others would describe him as stern / brooding.
Voice type: The voice should be deep and commanding. The character is huge, skilled and powerful, and commands respect. There is a roughness to the delivery, but not a growl - I.E not too Christian Bale's Batman! I'm looking more for someone who can provide a voice which holds the attention of the listener and portrays that same great presence, without coming across as too 'military'. (I.E if he were to give an order, someone listens because they are inspired to obey, rather than because they were shouted at.)
Line 1: “Tyrrial. Odd for a man to be named after one of the Four.”
Line 2: "If you truly mean her no harm then you will share this miserable joke of yours, because no one else is laughing.”
Line 3: “I cannot trust you in her presence. You admitted your reason for being here.”
MALE/FEMALE
Name: Narrator
Voice type: I'm easy with this one. This is where checking out the link to the book sample I posted above will help, so you can get a sense of the book's style. If you've heard audio readings of novels before, that'd be an advantage. The voice must be clear and precise. There is a brief action scene in the chapter, so if you are able to use inflections and alter your pace to match, that would also be a bonus.
Line 1: A few minutes later a pheasant wandered into view. It investigated the ground with its beak before peering around. There wasn’t enough time to make out the large human crouching in the distance. An arrow ended its life moments afterwards.
Line 2: Kanderil continued to give her small tasks in an effort to keep her mind from her troubles. He doubted it would be much use, but he saw no reason to coddle her. The more he allowed her to dwell the worse the feelings would be.
Line 3: It laughed with such force that it doubled over, slapping at its knee and howling. Sarene blinked again. She exchanged a brief glance with the woodsman. His expression was unreadable.
Additional info
I'll reply to each audition personally so you'll know it's been recieved. A decision will be mailed out on September 1st, so you'll know if you got the gig. There's no cursing, and the chapter selected will be suitable for a PG audience. A successful audition will be passed on to the sound engineer putting this all together, and if there's any issues with the quality of your recording then we'll do what we can to resolve this, but the recording quality will be important. (If you're able to come to us and record for the day - we're based in East London / Essex - we'll provide professional equipment.)
Thanks for reading, and I'll look forward to hearing from you. :)
-Ben-
@HennessyWrites
http://www.hennessywrites.com
