I find this blue banner quite relaxing.
Header image

So, you can read out loud without making too many mistakes; you’ve warmed it up with a genuine smile; and added some attitude for flavor. Now, the final step is to make your voiceover performance realistic by connecting with an audience. If you’re speaking to someone – rather than just reading words off a page – your voiceovers will have an authentic, human feel to them. And most importantly, the audience will believe you.

Let me be clear – the techniques and mindset of voice acting at this advanced level are more numerous and subtle than can adequately be explained in a blog post. This is the core of acting – and it requires years of practice, experimentation and some good coaching and advice to really connect. But I’ll give you some basic ideas to work with.

1. Talk to ONE PERSON. Unless the script specifically calls for you to talk to a group, it’s almost always more effective to have one person in mind, because your listeners will feel like you’re talking to them one-on-one.

2. Pick a SPECIFIC AUDIENCE. It might be someone you know, someone you’ve imagined, or someone in the room at the time – but the more specific your choice, the easier time you’ll have connecting with them.

3. Choose an audience CONSISTENT WITH THE PIECE. If it’s a health care commercial, you might think of someone who is ill, or has a friend or relative who is ill. If it’s an audiobook for children, speak to a child. Sometimes the script will indicate the intended audience. BUT, don’t be afraid to experiment with atypical choices for practice!

4. Remember PROXIMITY & LOCATION. How physically close you are to your audience, as well as the setting, will change your performance. Sitting next to someone in a quiet room yields a different performance than yelling across a crowded cafeteria.

5. Try DIFFERENT APPROACHES. You might try and visualize your audience in front of you, or just recall the visceral feeling of speaking to someone. You may prefer to think of people you know, or invent a fictional audience. Do some experimenting to see what works for you.

6. PRACTICE & REVIEW. Record yourself using different combinations of audience and setting, and listen to the results. You may find that how it feels isn’t always how it sounds, and you need to make some adjustments.

And don’t forget to have fun!

JM

Another simple idea here, but an important one. Adding a smile to your read brings energy, enthusiasm and warmth. Pay attention next time you’re listening to commercials – in virtually every radio and TV ad you hear, the voice actor is smiling to some degree or another. We’re so used to hearing it that the average listener is probably unaware, at least until their voiceover enthusiast friend (that’d be you) points it out to them.

Other voice acting genres use the smile too: promos & trailers, animation, even corporate work. I do a lot of narration and use a smile to make otherwise boring material palatable and engaging.

Of course, how much smile to use depends on the nature of the material; a PSA for the Red Cross might be fairly serious in tone, so a huge clown-like grin wouldn’t be appropriate. But even these heavier spots tend to have a flavor of hopefulness to them that a slight smile will help bring out.

But the most important thing about the smile is it’s got to be REAL! Just turning up the corners of your mouth mechanically isn’t going to cut it – you have to feel it in your gut. So, until you’ve learned to turn that switch on and off automatically, do whatever works to generate a real smile. Think of something funny or happy; have your friend or classmate make silly faces at you when you’re reading; look at an amusing photo. When you’re getting the hang of it, record your efforts and compare a smiling read to a non-smiling read.

So, just as in everyday life, a smile in the voiceover world will make you more appealing to more people. It’s one of the basic tools in your voice acting toolbox, and you will do well to spend the time learning to summon it and control it at will.

To sum up our lessons so far, then:

1. Get the words out.

2. Add a (real) smile.

That’s all you need to work on for now. Coming up next – ATTITUDE!

Have fun, and remember, PRACTICE.

copyright 2010 John Matthew