For Voice Over Clients

When I hear the word “sensuous,” I usually think of things like steamy novels, bubble baths and fleece blankets. But a documentary I narrated for the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association (ASR) did it’s very best to add another item to the sensuous list: the steam locomotive.

Entitled “Fire Up 2100: A New Chapter,” the documentary contained a quote from author William Young, who referred to the steam locomotive as:

“One of the most sensuous machines ever devised.”

Trouble viewing embedded video? Click here.

Young’s quote comes from his 1963 book “Iron Horse Rambles and the Reading T-1’s,” a story of the Reading Company’s T-1 engine that emerged from retirement to take passengers on excursions around the engines’ home state of Pennsylvania. Known as “rambles,” the excursions were designed to take modern folks back to a time when steam locomotives ruled the rails.

End of an Era (and an Engine)

But alas, the iron horse rambles eventually ended and the only four surviving T-1 engines were taken out of operation. Built in 1945, Reading’s Steam Locomotive 2100 is one of those survivors – and its story is the topic of the video.

The video narration kicks off with a sad and lonely narrative tone and music to match the sad and lonely fate of the once formidable 2100. The engine sits idle, with its bleak interior, grungy exterior and the wind howling through the open chambers that once used to be its windows.

My narration voiceover then helps take viewers on the long, winding journey the 2100 endured over the past decade or so, eventually ending up transported to Tacoma, Washington. There it again sat idle for several years until a restoration project team in Illinois was looking into a different engine to refurbish to its former glory.

The ASR stepped in with a pitch for the good ole 2100. The Illinois people bit, and the engine was soon on its way to Ohio for a total revamp to get it ready for its new destination. But the story doesn’t quite end there.

New Life for 2100

The ASR is in charge of restoring the 2100, a task estimated to take $700,000 – which is the overall point of the video. Telling the story of the engine, touching on the history and impact of steam locomotives in America, and highlighting people’s fascination with these sensuous machines all work together to stir up emotions and nostalgia.

I was asked to match my narrative tone and style with the compelling story, mood music and striking visuals that included footage from Hugh Fuller and axle17921, all of which was brilliantly produced by Lynchpin Creative.

One of the perks of my work as a female voice-over talent is learning new things on a regular basis. In this case, I learned about the background and arduous restoration process of an important piece of American history.

SOURCES:
http://www.amazon.com/Iron-horse-rambles-Reading-T-Is/dp/B0007FUC0Q
http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/staff/archive/2015/04/22/reading-2100-in-steam-i-can-t-get-no-satisfaction.aspx
http://www.fireup2100.org/

Raise your hand if you ever turned off the radio, TV or Internet video just because you didn’t like the sound of the person speaking? Most of us probably have, proving that the voice-over read of any given project can make or break that project’s success.

A high-quality voice track is a key part of the communication of the message, and that communication involves a lot more than just the words being spoken. Combined with the visuals and music, the voice-over read is what pulls the entire presentation together in the heart and mind of the audience. Five tips can help you find the best voice-over talent to pull your next project together with panache.

1. Look for Experience

Years of experience means years of honing and perfecting their voice and skills. Look for someone who has many years of experience in general and, ideally, a reasonable amount of voice-over experience with the type of project you’re producing.

While there may be certain situations where the particular sound of a voice outweighs the need for a long track record, an experienced pro is typically the way  to get the most effective execution of your script. Remember, it’s about more than simply reading the words, but using the voice as a tool to engage with your audience. The pros have mastered this art, and it’s a lot trickier than one might think.

2. Know the Role Your Talent Will be Playing

Some projects need a knowledgeable educator who instructs the audience. Others need a narrator who tells a story, a spokesperson who promotes the product, or an announcer who presents information in an impartial and authoritative way.

Or maybe you need the gal or guy-next-door kind of voice, as someone speaking to friend. One of the latest industry trends has been choosing voices that sound the most like your target audience, which would involve finding a talent with who can reproduce the overall tone and speech patterns as your ideal customers.

Understanding the role the voice-over talent will play in your particular scenario, will help you pinpoint the type of voice that can deliver it with conviction.

3. Determine if You Need Someone With Strong Acting Abilities

There is a big difference between voice-over talent and voice-over actors. Voice-over talent may only be accustomed to reading straight narrative copy, or simple announces, and may be uncomfortable being asked to produce multiple reads for character lines, or something that  involves emotive ability.

Voice-over actors, on the other hand, are often thrilled to do multiple takes in a variety of characters. They are generally backed by acting training and improvisational experience that lets them serve up numerous variations on the same line, if the first take doesn’t sound quite right.

The terms “voice actor” and “voice talent,” are often used interchangeably on websites and in marketing, making it hard to know for sure at a glance. So, if you need a real voice-over actor for your project, double-check that they have actual acting training and experience. You should be able to find that in their bio or just ask them directly for details on their acting background.

4. Take a Look at Some “Real” Project Samples, Not Just Demos

While a high-quality VO demo may sound good at a quick listen, it’s important to remember that what a demo provides is a quick earful of what the talent can do, in very controlled circumstances.

However, real-world project samples are the proof of successful projects the talent has actually done. They showcase the actor’s voice in jobs they were actually hired to record. A professional voice talent will usually have samples showcased on their website or have a playlist (or 2 or 20) on YouTube and/or Vimeo.

Producing a demo often involves hours spent in the studio crafting and fine-tuning the voice-over reads until they have just the right inflection – and then audio processing the clip for a professional sound. Project samples are real-life clips of what the talent can do under pressure, time constraints and following other stipulations set down by the client, and give a better indication of what the talent really brings to the table.

5. Evaluate the Fit

Evaluating the overall fit of the voice-over talent means making sure the voice meshes with your audience and subject while providing the credibility and quality you need.

A high-pitched, squeaky voice, for example, may not be the right fit for your sophisticated, high-tech product. And a deep, resonating, authoritative voice may send kids screaming for cover if you use it to sell children’s toys.

Another important element of a good fit is the connection between you and the voice talent. The most successful business relationships typically occur when both parties are authentic, share the same goals and values, and exhibit mutual respect. Even if a person happens to have what you think may be the perfect voice for your job, the fit may be less than perfect unless you click on a personal level.

Of course, there are many more criteria used to forge the perfect fit between client and voice-over actor, but these 5 steps are a good start to get you on solid footing from the outset.

Just as the voice-over talent does more than simply read some words, choosing the best voice-over talent for your project involves much more than deciding between male and female and calling it a day. These five tips can give you a solid path to follow to ensure your project is graced with the voice it needs – and your audience stays tuned in to listen to your message and take action.

The battle of the sexes definitely rolls over into the voice-over arena these days. Actually, there’s not really a battle going on, but rather a very good question:

Is it better for your company or client to hire male or female voice-over talent?

Like most things in life, there is no cut-and-dried, right or wrong answer. But my experience as a professional female voice-over talent for a couple of decades has taught me that companies can uncover the best answer for their specific needs by keeping a few key points in mind.

Industry and Audience

The historical trend has been to go with male voices for male-dominated fields and audiences, and female voices for those that contain more women. But this is one area where history is not necessarily repeating itself.

Many of my clients have contacted me to deliver narration voice-over services in industries that may not seem like the typical place to find female voice-over talent. These include Raytheon Missiles, the U.S. Army and a collection of mining, engineering, medical and financial fields. Inserting a woman’s voice into male-dominated territory (or the other way around) can give the select audience an unexpected twist from what they may have been conditioned to expect.

This unexpected twist is what can get the audience to perk up, and really listen.

Product Type

However, there may be areas where an unexpected twist is NOT all that welcoming. While a female voice-over talent talking about missiles and mining may work, a male voice telling women about the latest nail polish or feminine hygiene products is almost definitely not going to pan out well.

A study published in The Journal of Advertising examined the implications of using male and female voices in commercials. The study found that the gender of the voice-over didn’t matter for products that were either neutral, or geared toward men.

But, the gender of the voice-over mattered greatly when it came to female-oriented products. The chatty nature of a woman sharing something she likes with another woman seems very natural, and is used often in advertising.

Trust

Who do you trust? Did you know that women’s voices are generally perceived as more trustworthy than males?

Female voices typically sound less aggressive, softer and more easygoing – which makes people more likely to trust them. An interesting experiment headed by University of Glasgow psychologist Phil McAleer found that the trust happens in an instant, and even from a single word.

McAleer recorded 64 different voices, then had 320 different people listen to the voices simply saying the word, “Hello.” Listeners found the lowest-pitched voices of the males the least trustworthy.

Female and higher-pitched male voices were deemed the most trustworthy.

Inflection also mattered. The most trustworthy female voices were those that dropped their voice at the end of phrase, which McAleer said shows a degree of certainty that instills trust in the listener.

Which Gender of Voice-Over Talent Works Best For Your Company, Product or Message?

Male or female, the bottom line is what ultimately works best for your company and brand. Companies that are on the cutting-edge of creativity and innovation may want to mix it up and go against the norm, whatever the norm may be. More conservative brands, on the other hand, may want to stick with what their industry and audience expects.

I sometimes get calls from production companies that say they have “go-to” male voice-over talent that they know and use frequently, but have not been able to find a good female voice-over talent. This is always a bit surprising to me, since I know so many good women voice-over artists. Just doing a simple search turns up pages of terrifically talented female VO’s. Why would a producer not have at least one on his or her roster?

Perhaps it has more to do with the producer’s client requests, and some old-fashioned standard around the male domination in the voice-over field.

That male domination, however, is shifting. A 2018 report on voice over trends noted the number of job postings seeking female voice over artists is growing more rapidly than the rate of postings for male voices.

Female voice job postings grew by 24%, while male voice job postings rose by 16%. This trend has been in action for several years, and it’s expected to continue moving forward.

Much of the shift can be attributed to large female-oriented audiences more inclined to trust and listen to females they perceive to be “just like them.”

But trends aren’t written in stone, and stereotypes are being discarded all the time. I saw a TV spot just this week with a “Dad” doing the laundry and talking about his choice for laundry soap!

As long as a voice-over artist is good at what she does, professional in her business approach, easily accessible, reliable, and attentive to customer service, she should be able to attract business from all types of industries.

If you’d like read more on this topic, you can also check out this article I wrote back in January 2012.

Please share your experiences… Have you ever been able to shake things up and try a different gender approach with your clients and/or audience?