LOST LEDGER - PROJECT BRIEF
THE PROJECT
Lost Ledger is a small independent investigative mystery project that I've begun, built around fictional cold cases. Each case is constructed around evidence that the audience must examine, interpret and connect for themselves.
The Curious Case of Signal 17 is the second case in the project. It is designed to expand Lost Ledger beyond traditional written evidence and into a more media-heavy investigation where audio recordings, radio broadcasts, video and supporting documents form the core of the mystery.
I am currently developing the case and am looking to cast four primary performers, and a few supporting performers, for recorded dialogue that will form part of the investigation itself, including radio broadcasts, interviews and other recovered recordings.
THE CASE
The case is set in the fictional town of Thorton, England, in August 2005 and centres around 'Signal 17', an illegal pirate radio station operating in, and around the town. It has developed a small but loyal local audience and operates from a concealed location on the outskirts of the town.
One night in August 2005, the station is broadcasting live when an explosion destroys the building.
The station is severely damaged, much of its equipment is destroyed and several of the recordings from that night are either incomplete or corrupted. Three people connected to the station is killed and only one other survives the explosion.
The audience investigating the case is later given fragments of the surviving material and must reconstruct what happened before the bombing.
WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR
I am primarily looking for 4 primary voice actors who can deliver naturalistic, believable performances suitable for a radio broadcast, aswell as a handful of supporting roles for callers, interviewers and other such characters.
The performances should sound like real people rather than traditional audio-drama characters. Some roles may require different styles of performance within the same project, particularly where a character appears both in a recovered broadcast, and in a later recorded interview.
The script will contain the necessary information, but actors are encouraged to perform it naturally rather than placing obvious emphasis on clues or exposition.
RECORDING
This is a remote voice-acting project. You do not need professional studio equipment to audition, although a reasonably clean recording is important. A good USB microphone or comparable home recording setup is perfectly acceptable.
Please record in the quietest environment available and avoid significant background noise, clipping, echo or heavy processing. I will handle the editing, sound design and effects during post-production, so please submit clean, unprocessed dialogue where possible.
Auditions can be recorded using any DAW or recording software capable of producing a clean voice recording. (Audacity, Reaper, Adobe Audition, GarageBand and similar software are all acceptable.)
WHAT TO EXPECT
Signal 17 is being developed as one of the main cases within the Lost Ledger project, so unlike the short promotional trailer for Blackwood, selected performers may have a larger amount of material depending on the role.
Communication, scripts and recording instructions will be provided remotely. You will receive the relevant scene context before recording so that you understand what has happened and where the recording fits into the investigation.
Occasional retakes may be requested if a line needs to be adjusted during editing. Any substantial additional recording work will be discussed and compensated appropriately where applicable.
COMPENSATION
This is technically an unpaid independent project. Lost Ledger is a small independent mystery project currently being developed and is not operating with an official production budget, at this stage.
The 4 principal presenter roles, Luke Mercer, Emma Walsh, 'Ginge' and Phillip, and the two supporting roles, Gazza and Marla, are expected to involve more recording so a small payment is therefore intended for these roles.
Actors selected for the project will receive credit for their work on the coming Lost Ledger site and relevant case material. The finished recordings are intended to form part of the publicly released case.
AUDITIONING
Auditions are intentionally simple. You will be provided with a short selection of dialogue from the scene and asked to perform it in character.
I am primarily judging naturalism, emotional delivery, clarity and how convincingly you can make a scripted exchange sound like a genuine broadcast. Technical perfection is not required, but the recording should be clear enough for me to properly assess your performance.
I am much more interested in a believable performance recorded on a modest microphone than an overly polished recording, in which the acting feels artificial.
