Voice Over Techniques – Follow The Face

Friday 27 August 2010 - Filed under All Posts + Instruction + Voiceover Techniques

OK, the analogy may be a little stretched here, but this Seinfeld clip reminded me of a basic voice over technique that I hit on years ago that you may find helpful. And it’s simply this: if you’re having trouble summoning the right feeling or attitude for a read, try leading with your face.

Put on a facial expression that you think would be appropriate, and see if the feeling follows. For example, if you’re going for a wry sound, try raising an eyebrow and putting on a wry grin. If you want to sound suspicious, narrow your eyes and turn your head to the side a little – and start talking!

It’s also a good way to find new attitudes and reads. Try putting on a random expression, something you wouldn’t normally think of or maybe can’t even name, and see if it evokes a visceral feeling. Record some voice over copy with that look on your face and check playback to see what you’ve come up with – you may find a great new sound that you’ve never used before.

After years of using this technique, I now find that my gut feeling and my facial expression are pretty much locked together, so the second I make a face, I feel something. I still may need to use some basic voice over tools to “bring out” the read – a bigger smile, more energy, changing intensity or proximity and so on, but if you’re on to something genuine, you’ll know because you’ll FEEL it.

Give it a try, and have fun!

JM

 ::  Share or discuss  ::  2010-08-27  ::  JohnMatthewVO

Character Voice Acting Basics – Consistency

Friday 13 August 2010 - Filed under All Posts + Instruction + Voiceover Tips

Another thing to watch out for when performing characters and accents in your voiceover work is CONSISTENCY. Your character’s voice, accent (if any) and speech mannerisms need to be consistent to be convincing. Take a look at the video below, in which Tina Fey and Jack McBrayer of 30 Rock demonstrate the dangers of an inconsistent accent…

An inconsistent read is usually a sign of an underdeveloped character. If your voices and accents are weaving all over the road, you’ll just need to put some more practice time in to nail down your character. The more you really know, understand – and most importantly, FEEL – your characters, the more consistent they’ll be.

Keep in mind, though, that in the early stages of developing a character voice, it’s normal and necessary to do a lot of exploring with the voice. I find that new characters usually meander around for some time before finally settling into something stable. And it’s ultimately the personality that locks the voice down.

And by the way, this concept applies equally to “straight” commercial voiceover reads – your performance will be inconsistent unless you’re clear about your attitude and motivations for the spot.

 ::  Share or discuss  ::  2010-08-13  ::  JohnMatthewVO