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voice over mood

Getting the Right Voice Over Read for the Right Project

Getting the right voice over read can depend on several factors including audience, setting and topic

You want a totally different mood and sound for a voice-over spot that’s selling cars than for a voice-over video explaining a complicated medical procedure. So how do we VO artists know what voice over read to deliver? Well, sometimes we don’t.

Some scripts present a myriad of options, all of which could work. Getting the “right” read depends largely on what a client believes is “right.” Sometimes clients have input on what they’re envisioning for the final result. But sometimes the clients themselves aren’t exactly sure.

When it’s not totally clear from the get-go what type of voice over read is going to be the “right” one for a client, I have several strategies on hand to ensure the final product delivers exactly that.

Considering Various Elements

When a script or client doesn’t offer direction on tone or style, it’s time for the acting abilities to kick in. My first inclination is to review the script to determine how I would be relaying the information to a close friend. Would I be engaged in a quiet, intimate discussion, or excited and enthused? That answer often comes from reviewing three key areas.

  • The audience:

    Determining exactly who I’m talking to is incredibly helpful for determining the voice over read. Here I assess the gender, age, interests, profession, and other details that flesh out the script’s intended audience. A read that’s highly effective for a 12-year-old girl may bomb miserably for a 72-year-old man, for example.

  • The setting:

    A lot depends on where the script’s scenario is taking place. Talking to a close friend in her kitchen is going to have a different feel than talking to her at the county fair. You’ll also find different reads at work in an office, at work in a factory, at play in the park, or hanging out at the bus stop.

  • The topic:

    The read is definitely going to be steered by the topic being discussed. The compassionate, calming tone used for sensitive topics, such as medical procedures or health-related issues, is a far cry from the excited, enthusiastic read exclaiming the latest kitchen gadget is the coolest thing in the world.

Putting all these details together gives me what I need to “act the copy,” or tune in to my acting abilities to read the script as a character in the scene. The strategy is highly effective as well as consistently successful.

Working with clients in a live session can be the easiest way to nail the voice over read exactly how they want it.

Working with Clients in Real-Time

Working directly with the client during the recording session is another surefire way to get the right voice over read, and the phone patch makes that possible even when we’re miles away. In fact, I had a successful phone patch session last week where both a new client and advertising agency were on the phone with me during the session.

They had provided a concept around their branding, with descriptive words like bliss, peace and authenticity, and a very particular sound that would speak to an audience of millennials.

In cases like this, it’s useful to set up a benchmark read in a session, providing an initial read while keeping all the details in mind – and then adjusting the read accordingly, based on additional input from the client.

Specific changes are typically very easy to pinpoint and make when using the initial read as a starting point. Changes can include things like taking some inflection out, putting some pauses in, warming it up with more of a smile, and all the other little nuances a professional voice-over artist can bring to a session.

When clients can listen in on a recording in real-time, they can just as rapidly add useful input to achieve their desired results. Gotta love the phone patch.

Providing several voice over read options will also make the producer's job easier

Providing Different Voice Over Read Options

Even with a solid scenario and clear direction, there may be room for different variations of a single script.

One place this happens is with audition situations, although some may not provide much direction at all. In audition situations, I may actually give two full takes (or more, if the copy is short) of the audition script. Not only does this let the client review different interpretations of the script, but it also showcases my full range of abilities. And that’s a pretty handy aspect to showcase to someone who is considering hiring you.

Another situation in which I may give more than one voice over read is with relatively short sessions where I’m itching to share a slightly different read than the one I delivered. Here I’ll definitely give clients what they asked for, but I may also go ahead and read the script in a way that I personally feel would work best.

Sometimes the clients are happily surprised and go with the different take. Other times they simply thank me and stick with their original.

It’s all a matter of taste. Kind of like drinking a glass of wine. If two different people were to drink a glass of the same wine, you’d get two different reactions to it. The “right” read remains very subjective, and my overall goal remains to deliver a read that’s always right for the client’s needs.

Looking for the “right” read on your script? Contact me for a custom audition and we can work together to make it happen!

For more information on similar topics, please check out these related blog posts:

“A Client’s Guide to Selecting the Right Voice-Over Talent”

“Before You Hire Voice-Over Talent, Run Through This 10 Point List”

“6 Reasons People Trust a Female Voice Over Male Voices”

Filed Under: For Voice Over Clients Tagged With: voice over mood, voice over read

Changes in VO Styles Over the Years: From Big Booming Voice Overs to a More Natural, Conversational Style

Evolution of VO: From Voice-Over Announcer to Real Person

Once upon time, the big thing in voice-overs was that big, booming voice – the very polished, voice-over announcer type, with a strong kind of yelling-at-you delivery and feel. People listened. People purchased. That was simply how sales were made.

As times have changed, so have selling strategies. Most folks are no longer apt to listen to the very polished, big, booming voice – much less believe what it says. People today tend to instead respond to companies that focus on transparency, honesty and being real, with marketing that does the same.

This trend has definitely filtered into the voice-over arena, and has been there for some time. The big, booming voice-over announcer type of sound has been largely replaced with something that’s very casual and real.

So what does this mean?

Is the Big Booming Voice-Over Announcer Style Dead?

For starters, it can certainly mean less work for the announcer types, at least in the lineup of radio and TV spots. In fact, I recently had a discussion with another voice-over talent who has been in the business for more than 40 years. He has a great announcer VO sound, got his start in radio, and used to book two to three sessions a day for decades.

Now he doesn’t book anywhere close to that number. Those voice-over announcer style gigs have become much more sparse and he’s trying to branch out into other areas of voice-over to keep his business afloat.

The Voice-Over Announcer style is still used to grab peoples' attention

Louder, Hard-Sell Voice-Overs Are Still Popular for Selling Cars, Mattresses and in Sports

This is not to say there is absolutely no demand for the big, booming announcer voice. Sports announcers thrive on this type of style, especially when their voice reverberates throughout gymnasiums, colosseums and arenas. The style also remains common in several industries. The automotive industry is a prime example. Car commercials on TV and radio still tend to use the big, boomy, hard-sell approach, as do many furniture and mattress stores.

Here are a couple of examples showcasing two differing announcer reads: One pokes fun at the announcer sound in a conversation with on-camera talent, and the other is the “yelling at you” variety. Both are currently on TV as of this writing.

The announcer-type delivery remains particularly popular for local and regional spots. However, a national spot for any major automobile brand, by contrast, may have a much more polished and subdued delivery.

While the male voice typically makes a good match for the announcer-type, booming voice, I have had my own chance to use it on several occasions.

Below are a couple examples that show some of the range I am asked to provide for auto-related commercials. From a typical soft-sell voice-over announcer style that I use for a Ford Dealership, to a more sultry conversational style on a Harley-Davidson dealer commercial. Check out many more samples of other styles on my Automotive Commercials page.

On Being a Voice at the Happiest Place on Earth

One of my more memorable voice-over announcer opportunities was as the original in-the-park announcer for Disney’s California Adventure when it opened in 2001. I was living in Southern California at the time, so the commute was much shorter than it would be if I were traveling from my current home in Michigan.

When the park opened, I was there in person making the announcement for the company president, dignitaries and all other attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. My voice was broadcast over the park’s public address system, in between my pre-recorded announcements welcoming guests, weather contingencies and starting time of the parade.

Over the next few years, I really enjoyed being the “voice of the park” and having friends and relatives ask me if that was my voice they heard while waiting in line for a ride.

Here’s a short clip I was able to dig up from a special event announcer gig at the Disney Park in California. I think this may have been a New Year’s Eve event.

 

      Sending Dreams & Wishes Into the Future

 

To succeed with the announcer-type voice, it’s imperative to get into the announcer-type mode. As with all voice-over work, you  have to really know your audience and speak to them. Announcer-type deliveries must be clear, enunciated and perfectly pronounced. In the case of speaking to the crowd at a Disney theme park, the delivery also required enthusiasm, smile and warmth – since they were, of course, at the “happiest place on earth.”

The biggest challenge for voice-over announcer can be believability

Both VO Styles Have Their Challenges

While the announcer-type style and the casual conversation style may seem as if they’re on opposite sides of the spectrum, they do share a common challenge. In both cases, the overall goal is to be believable.

  • As big and booming as an announcer-type voice may be, it still needs some degree of warmth and humanity so it doesn’t totally turn off the listener. The delivery requires an element that characterizes the information as important, and as something the audience wants to listen to.
  • The casual, real-person read also needs to be believable. It has to sound like a real conversation someone is having with her girlfriend at Starbucks about a place to get a bank loan, or with her aging mother about an assisted living facility (click to listen to some of my conversational demo samples).Here is where voice acting comes into play, with the voice-over artist entering the reality of the moment and actually being that person in that particular situation.  Underplaying these types of conversations, and making them believable can be one of the hardest things for a VO artist to successfully accomplish, especially from just words on the page.  That’s where the “talent” part comes in.  But it’s still got to have vocal energy, billboard client names, come in under 30 seconds, and all the other things that are important in advertising. It’s a tricky road to navigate sometimes.Some modern spots tend toward the snarky and sarcastic, featuring the befuddled mom, frustrated worker or similar roles. The trend is to create a situation of frustration, present the problem – and then solve it with the for-sale-now solution within 30 seconds, and make it all sound perfectly natural and believable. Visit my voice over demos page to hear examples of these kinds of styles.The greatest challenge in these cases may be taking the copy that someone else wrote and truly making it your own. The words need to feel like they came from your own heart, instead of a script sitting in front of you. It seems easy. But of course, that’s why you hire a professional to do the work; since it’s their business to make something quite challenging look easy.Both announcer and conversational voice-over styles still have their places in the world, and no matter how easy and straightforward either voice-over style may seem, both the larger-than-life- announcer and the “real person” require insight, experience, and just the right read to provide the most effective results.Whether you’re looking for an announcer-style or more conversational tone, I would love to help you with your project. Please contact me today for a complimentary voice over quote or custom audition.

    You may also enjoy reading these posts on similar topics:

    “When You Need More Than Just a Voice-Over Actor”

    “6 Reasons People Trust a Female Voice Over Male Voices”

    “Voice-Over Narration: Do It Yourself or Pay for a Pro?”

Filed Under: For Voice Over Clients Tagged With: Featured Commercial, voice over mood, voice over read, voice over style

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Debbie Grattan is a top-rated professional female voice over talent with more than 22 years of experience delivering voice over services worldwide. She regularly records commercial voice overs for radio and tv as well as infomercial voice overs and direct response marketing for children’s toys, health, fitness and beauty products. Other specialties include female narration voice overs for corporate narration, web videos, tutorials, explainer videos and technical medical narration. Debbie also provides phone-related voice over services including phone prompts, messages-on-hold and outbound phone marketing for companies in the United States and Canada.

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