The Man of 100 Voices

Authentic Voice Over

Good radio commercials are stories which all take place somehwere - in a car, by a lake, at a breakfast table, in a bathroom, kitchen, field, forest - so go there. The sound will be more natural. It'll stand out on the air because it won't have that dry "studio" sound.

Your voice actors will sound more authentic. The ambiance of the location will affect their performances.

Whether your voice talent is in a shower stall, sitting on a couch or standing on a step ladder pretending they're painting - each position places the diaphragm in a different position, so the voice will sound different.

If the place has background noise, you'll have to monitor your takes carefully, so the ambient sound doesn't overpower the voices.


Written by Jeffrey1
Listen to Jeffrey1's Demo HERE

New Building for Voices Online Now

Be on the look out for pictures of the construction of our new building. The building should be completed at the end of the year!

Bob8 Wins "Best Male VO" at Promax Awards

Bob8 recently one the title of "Best Male VO" at the 2010 Promax Awards. Congratulations Bob8!

Listen to Bob8's demo HERE

Growth of the Utah Film Industry

Figures obtained by The Associated Press in advance of their official release Thursday show the number of jobs created by film productions increased to 1,255 during the fiscal year that ended June 30, up from 520 jobs in the previous year.

The economic impact of those production sis valued at $53 million, compared with $11.3 million a year earlier.

Utah's film industry got a mojor boost from the production of feature films such as "John Carter of mars," the first live-action film from Disney/Pixar Animation. The state offered $5.5 million in incentives to land the film.

Read the whole article at ksl.com

Sign Language Voice

10 Tips for Effective Voice Over

1. First, know this...Your own voice is your biggest asset. Before you develop other characters, get to know your own vocal uniqueness. Experts advise to make yourself fit the script. So, unless and/or until you can pull it off with total believability, don't try to be what you're not.
2. Remember your second most important asset...your ears. Listen and learn. Get to know a natural read from a retail rea. Learn what's in vogue now and what's in retrograde. Listen to the copywriter, producer, and mixing engineer (he's a secret expert witness. He works with every producer in town). Listen and you'll develop the ability to give your clients what they want quickly. Giving them what they want will get you invited back again.
3. Visualize real people you actually know when you read teh script. Ask who am I and whom as I talking to. Imagine their reaction as though you're speaking face-to-face. Do you know more than the person you're talking to or do you know less? What is your attitude toward them and theirs toward you? Is the object of your frame of reference smart or a buffoon? Is he or she a close trusted friend or disinterested in part? The more clearly you emotionally understand the attitudes in the spot the more real the impact of your read will be. Remember there are no monologues in real life, even if you are the only speaker.
4. Read carefully and understand your copy. Ask, "what's the message of the writer". Read the entire script to make sure that you're living the intent of the spot as you're recording it. There is almost always an implied setting or ambience surrounding the message. When you understand where the script is going, you can follow the evolution of the situation and adjust accordingly as it develops. It's important that you're always acting in the moment throughout the spot.
5. Remember your voice lives in a physical world so use your physicality to convey a sense of reality in your delivery. If you're presenting in a formal attitude, stand straight and your delivery will reflect your posture, naturally. To sound relaxed, slouch or sit down. For warmth, smile and think of the mike intimately as an ear. The more real it feels, the more real it will sound.
6. Connect. Be emotional. Be more than just another copyreader. It's a common announcer foible and can be tough to overcome. Don't telegraph the message. Let the ideas in the copy act upon you. More than speak the words, act it out.
7. Don't...be... predictable in your pacing. Pause...in an unusual place, tumble some less important words and s-p-r-e-a-d others. Sometimes unusual pacing and pausing can catch the ears of the listener, and more importantly, the casting agent.
8. When appropriate try a little vocal shrick in your read. Sometimes it's the reactions or imperfections like adding an occasional "uh" and "ah" or "youknow", tha tcan lend uniqueness and believability to a dialogue spot. Ad-libbing can ease tension in a session and help make the psot better as well, as long as it doesn't get in the way of the work.
9. In dialogue spots, have fun with the interplay and environment to help create a connection between the characters. To keep it real and interesting make sure you keep the pacing of the spot crisp. Like real people, you can interrupt each other cautiously to give the spot a feeling of spontaneity (without being too sloppy about it in case the client needs to edit later).
10. Once you establish your character, stay in character. Don't morph into somebody else. Learn how the character feels. You can remember your character by choosing a vocal cue, musical pattern, accent, tempo, or attitude as a reference. If you pay attention to the character and don't allow yourself to be distracted or insecure, you'll stay where you need to be.

Finally remember the unwritten rule: Have fun with your craft. The more you play at your craft, the more comfortable you will become with your process, and the faster your skills will grow. Good luck! Now go out there and VO-wow 'em!

Listen to the author of the article, Snaz at www.VoicesOnlineNow.com

Photo by simplykaty