One of the most important elements of video production often goes unnoticed. In fact, this is something that should go unnoticed, because if it dominates the piece, it has failed miserably in its role.
We are of course talking about the humble voiceover – the descriptive, calming vocal accompaniment that guides us through the viewing process.
If you’re producing a video for your business and the budget is on the low side, you may have decided to undertake the voiceover work yourself. And why not? It’ll be yet another string added to your bow and a hefty chunk of the marking budget saved for other purposes.
However, jumping straight into a voiceover without prior preparation isn’t recommended. It requires careful planning, practice and knowledge of some tried-and-tested voiceover techniques.
The best voiceover artists blend effortlessly into the video and paint a backdrop as engaging as the visuals, albeit in a far more subtle way. Here’s how you can do just that with ten things every aspiring voiceover artist should be aware of:
1. Embrace the fact you’re going to get it wrong – lots
When we interviewed the much sought-after voiceover artist Marc Silk for our Backlight podcast, he provided a fascinating insight into the challenges he faces whenever he steps into the vocal booth. Clearly, it’s a perilous place to be – unless you accept the fact that mistakes will happen, and lots of them will be down to you.
A voiceover session is a performance, and chances are, you’re not a trained, experienced actor like Marc, therefore you will make plenty of mistakes. Just remember that you’re the one brave enough to step into that booth; the people at the controls or watching on will have to (and, invariably, do) understand that it’s going to take time.
Like anything in life,
2. Breathe uninhibited
In the early days of video production, voiceover artists were encouraged to keep their breaths silent, so as not to ‘dirty’ the audio with their incessant intakes and exhales.
Thankfully, those days are long gone, and audible breathing is now far more acceptable. This is rather nice, because breathing is one of the most important aspects of voiceover work. Much like a singer, you’ll need to focus intently on your breathing to ensure it is slow, measured and capable of delivering enough breath to say what you need to say naturally.
3. Avoid the ‘ummms’
Hesitation in a voiceover isn’t particularly desirable. The presence of consistent ‘umming’ during a performance will become highly distracting for the viewer and suggests that the person doing the voiceover is neither in control of nor comfortable with the stuff they’ve been asked to say.
Instead, combine your steady breathing technique (see point 2) with gentle pauses, rather than resorting to ‘umming’. It’ll take practice, but you’ll quickly banish hesitation of any kind, which will save ample time during post-production editing.
4. Close authoritative or neutrally
A common mistake made by first-time voiceover artists is to end every sentence with a rising tone, as though asking a question. To the viewer, this can be extremely off-putting and dilutes the importance of the content you’re narrating.
To avoid this, end every sentence either authoritatively or with a neutral tone. It’ll feel unnatural at first, and somewhat daunting, but will soon become second nature.
5. Challenge the script
If you’re asked to read something within the script that doesn’t feel natural – challenge it. Sentences that read perfectly on paper might be a mouthful to convey vocally, therefore don’t be afraid to suggest alternatives.
Professional voiceover artists often have a degree of editorial control. It is, after all, their voice which is relied on to turn the script into something engaging and befitting of the on-screen content, and if certain passages or phrases don’t feel right to the voiceover artist, they probably won’t feel right to the audience, either.
6. Stand up
By standing while reading, you’ll open up your breathing apparatus, making it easier to speak clearly and consistently. Conversely, by sitting down, your body is compressed, and the effect on your voice more telling than you might think.
Standing up while delivering a voiceover will also do wonders for your confidence. You’ll feel more authoritative, more in control and quickly gain a mindset that is firmly in ‘performance mode’.
This is a technique that’s worth experimenting with. Record yourself reading something while sitting down, and then do the same thing while standing. Listen back to both; it’s almost certain that the latter recording will be the one you prefer.
7. Get a good night’s sleep beforehand
This is good business practice no matter what you happen to have in your diary for the following day, but voiceover work is particularly draining due to the level of concentration and potential number of re-runs you’ll have to undertake.
A long night’s sleep followed by a decent breakfast will set you up perfectly for a session in front of the microphone, and the effect it’ll have on your performance will result in a voiceover recording that is vibrant, natural and very engaging.
8. Use the best gear possible
The fact that you’re undertaking the voiceover work yourself suggests your video marketing budget might be limited, therefore we’ll assume you’re also unlikely to have funds available to invest in gear the BBC would be proud of.
Regardless, it pays to invest as much as you can in recording gear or, alternatively, book some studio time. The quality of the voiceover will be dramatically enhanced by the recording equipment you use and the expertise on hand to operate it.
A good quality mic and the ability to add some effects such as compression and limiting are just two of the technical elements that are vital in securing a voiceover performance that befits the content it accompanies.
9. Revise
Ugh, back to school? In this instance – yes! Jumping into a vocal booth having only read through the script a couple of times is asking for trouble – you need to be far more prepared if the voiceover is to be a success.
Get to know the material like the back of your hand. Read through it, but conduct your own research, too. Find out about the topic if it isn’t something with which you’re immediately familiar and take time to emerge yourself in its world, particularly if its an area of the business in which you don’t spend a great deal of time.
10. Practice
It’s important that you find your voice for this kind of work. Producing a voiceover is rather different to telling a story over the dinner table or giving a speech at a conference.
Pay more attention to the voiceovers you encounter while watching TV and make notes on how the pros do it. Then, practice! You don’t need to do so with the video’s topic, either – just start your smartphone’s recording app and pretend you’re narrating a wildlife program or episode of Dragon’s Den. Listen back and note where you’re most engaging and the areas in which you appear to be sending yourself to sleep.
This is by far the best part of voiceover preparation, so have fun with it (you’re doing this for yourself, remember – no one else has to hear it!).
That’s a wrap!
If you’re able to conduct voiceover work for your video marketing efforts in-house, you’ll save significant time and expense on getting someone in to do it for you and, as an added bonus, it’ll help you develop a consistent persona for the business that can be used again and again.
Most importantly – enjoy it. Voiceovers are curiously addictive and, providing you follow our tips above, you’ll be surprised to find you have a hidden talent.