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Voiceover Trends – Keeping It Real

Posted by JohnMatthewVO in All Posts | Voiceover Career Advice - (Comments Off)

One of the keys to voiceover success is staying current. The trends change constantly, and if you don’t change with them, you’ll be left behind.

For many years now, the trend in many types of media – particularly commercials – has been toward more real, conversational reads. Pay attention to television and radio advertisements, and you’ll hear more “real” sounding voiceovers than “announcery” voiceovers. And when you do hear an announcer type read, it’s usually done as a character.

This trend has worked its way into other media as well, notably narration for non-broadcast or web content applications. These include informational, educational and promotional pieces for corporate and government projects

The following video is a good example of this trend. It’s a short piece that I narrated recently for the San Diego Association of Governments – or SANDAG – that is designed to get residents of the San Diego area involved in long-range community planning. Have a listen:

As you’ve just heard, the client (a kind of corporate-government hybrid), wanted a real, conversational voiceover that connected with a younger audience. In session I was directed to sound like I was really talking to someone, and not just reading words off the page with a nice voice and good diction.

To stay current, you must constantly pay attention to the trends and put the time and effort in to up your game. At the same time, you need to be careful to avoid simply copying other voice actors’ reads – find your own unique version of what’s popular.

And have fun!

JM

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Voiceover Techniques – Lesson 4: Make It Real

Posted by JohnMatthewVO in All Posts | Instruction | Voiceover Techniques & Tips - (Comments Off)

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

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