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A British English Voice Over for "A Grave Error": Narrating an Immersive UNESCO Soundwalk
- Sara Woodcock
- Jun 29
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 7
As a British English voice over artist, I love discovering the many different ways storytelling can come to life through voice. My latest project, A Grave Error, took me into the world of immersive audio, where history, fiction and technology combine to create a completely unique listening experience.
Directed by Gaëtan Gromer from Les Ensembles 2.2, A Grave Error is a geolocated interactive soundwalk set at the Nécropole nationale de la Harazée in Vienne-le-Château, recently recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Produced in partnership with the Département de la Marne, the experience invites visitors to explore the memorial while an original audio drama unfolds around them.
I had the pleasure of recording the English narration, playing the role of a fictional novelist who arrives hoping to write a story inspired by the site. Instead, she finds herself questioning whether fiction can ever match the reality of what happened there.
"How can I possibly come up with anything new after everything I've read on the subject? Letters from soldiers, diaries, war memoirs. I write fiction, and what happened here 111 years ago is far beyond my imagination."
I immediately connected with this character. Throughout the soundwalk, we hear her internal thoughts as she questions whether fiction has any place amongst such profound history. Along the way, those reflections become conversations as she encounters different characters, each helping to shape her understanding of the memorial and the stories it holds.
As an English voice actor, this was a wonderfully nuanced role to perform. It required a constant shift between intimate internal monologue and natural dialogue, while allowing listeners to feel as though they were walking alongside her. It's a style of storytelling that feels incredibly personal, and one that perfectly suits immersive audio experiences like this.
The recording itself was just as enjoyable. Working from my professional home studio in Paris, I connected remotely with the fantastic team in Strasbourg using SessionLinkPRO. Over the course of just over three hours, we recorded the entire English narration with seamless live direction, proving once again how efficient remote voice over recording can be when everyone is working together.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in the production for trusting me with the English narration. It was a real privilege to lend my voice to such a thoughtful and beautifully produced experience.
...and if you ever find yourself visiting the Marne region, I'd highly recommend downloading the G.O.H application, putting on a pair of headphones and experiencing A Grave Error for yourself. It's a wonderful reminder that sometimes the most powerful stories are the ones that allow us to simply listen.
