VoiceOver Basics: LESSON 5 - TIPS FOR BUILDING VOICE OVER SKILLS (PART 2)

"Whether you do voice overs all the time or just once, take care of yourself. A good night’s sleep and a liter or two of water every day is a great start. If you have allergies or other breathing issues, keep up with your medications, but avoid using anything that makes you too dry or too uncomfortable before recording. "

#6-Take Care of Yourself

Whether you do voice overs all the time or just once, take care of yourself. A good night’s sleep and a liter or two of water every day is a great start. If you have allergies or other breathing issues, keep up with your medications, but avoid using anything that makes you too dry or too uncomfortable before recording. A vocal warm-up before recording is a good idea too…. … humming along with some music works.

#7-Editorial Control

It can be grammatically correct and technically accurate, but sometimes, even the best-written scripts are impossible to read aloud. Simplifying a script makes it clearer and easier to understand too. This benefits you, the client and the intended audience. When editing, though, it’s important to maintain the intent of the piece, so be sure to clear all changes with the original writer, first.

#8-Ummm...

The nemesis of the voice-over artist is hesitation in the form of umm, ahh and uhh. Play your test recordings and listen for these gremlins. However, there’re a few broadcasters and voice-over artists whose conversational style makes this forgivable. Still your voice overs should be hesitation free. This is simply a function of practice and familiarity with the material. If all else fails, some crafty editing can eliminate these issues, but it’s always best to block them in the first place.

#9-Inflection

Don’t forget to include appropriate inflection throughout your voice overs, matching the content to the tone of your voice. And believe it or not, your audience can actually hear a smile. If the script is upbeat, record your voice overs with a smile to help push the message through.

#10-Just Breathe

As you practice reading the script, mark places where you can safely take a breath, especially where you know there will be an edit or pause and rehearse breathing in those places. You can also turn your head away from the microphone briefly to minimize the sound.

 

IN OUR NEXT LESSON I’LL SHARE WITH YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TOOLS REQUIRED FOR ONLINE VOICEOVER WORK.

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