2022.12.31 – 0730 – Skilling Up To Be Godlike Additional skills · You need to be able to ask questions, use initiative and take direction when presenting in this situation. You need to be diplomatic: who are you taking direction from? The sound engineer, the stage manager, the MD of the company, the hotel manager…? · You need to work well under pressure, being script-accurate, possibly while hearing in-ear directions from a stage director. · You must be able to recover after a stumble and able t...
Dec 31, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 730
2022.12.30 – 0729 – Your Godlike Presentation Your presentation · Don’t talk too fast or information may be missed. There may be a busy room with hubbub and people mid-way through a conversation. In a large warehouse-like conference centre your voice may echo slightly and so a slower read-rate may be best. Think about how the audience is receiving the message. · Be aware that you may need a gear change in your presentation: there may be a tribute to a colleague who’s died or a family member who ...
Dec 30, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 729
2022.12.29 – 0728 – Your Bow Tie And Ball Gown Prep · Seeing a script in advance will let you prep any unusual terminology. Perhaps it’s a sports event and you may need to give a score or a result. You may be expected to lead some kind of audience participation and explain a voting procedure or how to use a piece of tech. Even explaining where the buffet or toilets are will sound more authoritative if you know the route to the room yourself. If it’s a regular gig, be across the industry, so you ...
Dec 29, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 728
2022.12.28 – 0727 – Prepping For ‘Voice of God’ Announcements Preparation · Ensure you get the script well in advance so you can read and rehearse. There may be words, places, people’s names and technical terms (a trade show for medical equipment, a conference for engineers…) that you are not familiar with. At awards ceremonies, some of the categories-and-sponsor-credit names can be quite a mouthful. They may also have been written by someone who doesn’t ‘write for the ear’, with long sentences,...
Dec 28, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 727
2022.12.27 – 0726 – Your ‘Voice of God’ Voice Your voice · In this position you are often the face, or rather the voice of the event: the conductor. Assess the brand of the events and the type of content you are reading. Is it a corporate gig or a relaxed and younger audience? Your voice needs to be representative of the client, and fit with the brand and vibe of the event. For example, if you are announcing winners at the “ Scaffolder of the Year ” award on a weekday lunchtime, it may be a diff...
Dec 27, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 726
2022.12.26 – 0725 – Live Event Announcement Skills Live Events Announcements (‘Voice of God’ aka VOG) These are the announcements made at an event (maybe a conference, ball or theatre), signposting what the delegates, guests or audience need to know or need to do. The voice-over is often not on the main stage, but disembodied, that is, never seen and ‘behind the scenes’ and from a loudspeaker in the ceiling, hence the name ‘Voice of God’. Announcements may be along the lines of: “ Welcome to thi...
Dec 26, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 725
2022.12.25 – 0724 – Reading Cast Lists This is the part of the cast list for an episode of the world’s longest-running continuing drama, BBC Radio 4’s “ The Archers ”: Pat Archer ….. Patricia Gallimore Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin Justin Elliott ….. Simon Williams Toby Fairbrother ….. Rhys Bevan Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed Writer, Nick Warburton Director, Julie Beckett Editor, Jeremy Howe In this situation, with agreement from a studio director, you may be ab...
Dec 25, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 724
2022.12.24 – 0723 – Reading Lists Lists (or ‘strings’) and credits Lists are boring so it is your job to make them sound less so. We’re talking about maybe a news story on the selling points of a showbiz star’s home that’s up for sale or a roll-call of credits at the end of an audio drama. You have to read the uninspiring script in an interesting way, rather than simply rattling it off. “It has eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a heated garage and stables, a gym and home cinema, and an underground ...
Dec 24, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 723
2022.12.23 – 0722 – Possible Hazards in e-Learning Narration Possible trip-ups Watch out for: · Jargon and unfamiliar terms and phrases – check each pronunciation as well as acronyms, dates and so on as well as any equations that you may need to read and then say it simply and confidently. Bear in mind that if the copy is heavy on technical terminology or with complex sentence structure (such as a read for a legal, technical or pharmaceutical company) then it will take you longer to reach fluenc...
Dec 23, 2022•1 min•Season 2Ep. 722
2022.12.22 – 0721 – Explainer and Training Video Narration Explainer videos by their definition are structured in the classic problem > solution style, often featuring the owner of the business or a member of staff (or an actor appearing to be a member of staff!) and 30-120 seconds. Like all of these e-learning formats, you have to sound as though you understand and care about the problem and the product, but you don’t need to ‘sell’ anything as you might have to in a commercial as the audien...
Dec 22, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 721
2022.12.21 – 0720 – Sight-Reading Skills For Your e-Learning Narration Sight reading - As the scripts are likely to be quite long, you need to be able to scan once (to check for potential stumble-ridden words and acronyms), and then read pretty much by sight. Why so little rehearsal? Because the scripts can be so long, and dry it simply may not be viable to either rehearse it all or to make too many stumbles in the actual recording as editing time could make the whole project unviable. That also...
Dec 21, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 720
2022.12.20 – 0719 – Stamina and Timing For Your e-Learning Narration Other skills Stamina - Such reads may be quite demanding: explaining a new procedure to an oncologist or orthodontist may involve complex language; leading people through new regulatory procedures may need careful intonation as your voice will help explain the changes; a series of modules may need lots of preparation, patience and studio time with a read that is consistent and seamless. So you will need to sound not just good b...
Dec 20, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 719
2022.12.19 – 0718 – Intonation and Projection For Your e-Learning Narration Intonation - people need to trust that you know what you are explaining to them, so correct intonation is paramount. A mis-stress can give the impression you are a ‘hired voice’ rather than a knowledgeable mentor. The script is very likely to be a training or explanation. By sheer definition, the point of the script may be to tell the staff about what has changed in a process, and so you will need to be able to identify ...
Dec 19, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 718
2022.12.18 – 0717 – Pace and Tone For Your e-Learning Narration Your e-learning voice You will be the ‘brand voice’ of the product or service, so you will reflect those values as well as those of the target demographic. Pace - Almost by definition, the information being presented is new and may also be complex. Viewers may also have English as their second language. Having said that, be guided by the content and the visuals. Explaining new procedures over a fast-paced soundtrack over quick cuts ...
Dec 18, 2022•8 min•Season 2Ep. 717
2022.12.17 – 0716 – e-Learning Narration e-Learning Narration For every industry there is something to learn and the aim is to make it engaging and interesting, understandable and memorable. E-learning and explainer videos may be used in a formal education setting, ‘internal use’ to staff or ‘external’ and online, on YouTube or websites as a video, animation or podcast. They’re things like various courses; online webinars; in-house employee updates on health and safety, medical, diversity and in...
Dec 17, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 716
2022.12.16 – 0715 – Voiceover Dubbing Multi-Skills You don’t need to be able to understand the original language, in fact knowing it may be a distraction as you’ll be able to understand what you’re replacing. The work is invariably done in a studio as you will have to speak to time, not just for the specific lip-syncs but also for the ‘looser’ dubs, getting a duration correct for the scene is still important. So, it can be quite complex: reading the script, watching the screen for the lip-sync, ...
Dec 16, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 715
2022.12.15 – 0714 – Lip-Sync, Phrase-Sync, Non-Sync, Bilingual and Narration Dubbing Dubbing can also be used to describe the voice given to animated characters or computer-generated characters in video games. Lip-sync dubbing – is when the new voice closely matches the lip movements of the original actor/presenter on the video so the difference is barely noticed which of course increases the audience’s emotional engagement. This is obviously difficult as not only are words different, but some l...
Dec 15, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 714
2022.12.14 – 0713 – Full-Dubbing Skills Full dubbing (or ‘revoicing’) is when a whole new audio version of the dialogue is created, for example re-recording all of the characters in a Canadian English-speaking film, for the Spanish market. Again, the new words have to sync with the mouth movements of the on-screen actor. It may also be, not just actors, but presenters or interviewees or guests. In both cases, you are not so much a voice-over as a voice actor – acting out the part with your voice...
Dec 14, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 713
2022.12.13 – 0712 – Dialogue Replacement Skills Dubbing Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) This is when a line or more of a movie or TV dialogue that was recorded on location, is re-recorded in a studio. It may be because of sound problems on the original (a plane, a misplaced microphone), or a change in the script (perhaps because of a plot inconsistency, a mistake that hadn’t been spotted, for a different overseas market with different regulations (for example on swearing) or to have a diffe...
Dec 13, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 712
2022.12.12 – 0711 – Brand Voices Brand voices Go back and read ep 258 You need to be: · Adaptable and be able to voice different kinds of content – ads, phone system, podcasts, saving the client time and money · On a retainer so you can do quick-turnaround records. Negotiate extra costs · Longevity – you will only get better at understanding what’s wanted with your vocal attitude and the ethos of the business, and may even start developing your style or suggesting to · Have their own studio to a...
Dec 12, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 711
2022.12.11 – 0710 – Audio Guide Narration Skills Some of these parts may be played by actors, but often it may just be a narrator – the ‘glue’ that links all of the information together. They will do the ‘housekeeping’: the welcomes, how to operate the audio player, what’s in the exhibition, where the toilets and emergency exits are and so on: “now go through the door on your left…”, “you’ll be able to buy a copy of this painting in the gift shop later”, “the toilets are just here if you need th...
Dec 11, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 710
2022.12.10 – 0709 – Voicing and Producing Audio Guides Audio Guides These are pre-recorded guides for places such as museums, galleries and historic houses or street walks and are often on players you pick up at the entrance, on a loop system, downloadable apps or mp3s. They may also be on playout systems at fixed points either playing continuously or on push-to-play buttons, on pick-up headphones, on video walls and so on. They have some of the following attributes: · They give audio directions...
Dec 10, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 709
2022.12.09 – 0708 – Voicing Audio Descriptions Audio description – AD This is a voice-over describing what is happening in the scene of a movie to benefit those who are visually impaired, who can hear the dialogue but otherwise may find the plot difficult to follow. The script will be provided for you, in which elements such as the action, setting and costumes will be described, but also along with other visual elements that help tell the story: a facial expression of an actor, a character who o...
Dec 09, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 708
2022.12.08 – 0707 – Growls and Grunts, Snorts and Squeaks Animal noises This is not giving a human voice to an animal, but literally making growls and grunts, snorts and squeaks. (Yep, we’re talking voices and noises here!) Very often these noises are incorporated into an anthropomorphic script that we looked at just now to better introduce the character, so a ‘dog’ may bark before a line (read in English). Specific ‘actor-made’ barks and clucks, meows and moos may also be used in animation, whe...
Dec 08, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 707
2022.12.07 – 0706 – Staccato Chickens and Hissing Snakes Then read your lines with these attributes, threading the ‘animal sounds’ into human speech: words are perhaps growled (as a ferocious dog might) or in a bright and happy ‘puppy-dog’ style. Similarly, you can probably imagine how a cat may say ‘hello’ (with a ‘miaow’ in the voice), or how a chicken may talk (perhaps thinking of their head-bobbing, pecking style, so their voice may be quite staccato). A snake character may talk slowly with ...
Dec 07, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 706
2022.12.06 – 0705 – Animal Characterisations Animal characterisations Anthropomorphism is giving animals human-like characteristics and emotions – it’s the basis of many children’s books such as the famous Mickey Mouse or Winnie The Pooh as well as widely used in commercials (think of Martin the Geico Gecko the mascot of the insurance brand). [1] Of course, giving a voice to an animal is really voice acting , so many of the skills are similar to creating a voice for another human character, but ...
Dec 06, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 705
2022.12.05 – 0704 – Advertisements / Commercials Advertisements / Commercials Perhaps one of the main attributes of a radio, tv or movie commercial read is a voice with charismatic qualities. That is one that is trustworthy, interesting and ‘listenable’. Even though the person behind the voice is rarely if ever seen, with a radio advert you have a lot of heavy lifting to do, whereas with the other, more visual mediums, your voice is in addition and often takes more of a back seat to what is bein...
Dec 05, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 704
2022.12.04 – 0703 – Animal Noises, Political Ads, IVRs and VOGs: Other voiceover roles Advertisements / Commercials Animal characterisation and animal noises Audio descriptions Audio guides Brand voices Dubbing eLearning how to read lists and casts Live Events Announcements (‘Voice of God’ aka VOG) Speaking outdoors Medical Movies trailers Political ads PSA Station imaging Telephony voice over Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 04, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 703
2022.12.03 – 0702 – At The End Of An Audiobook Recording When recording Finish each session at an appropriate point in the plot – that’s usually at the end of a section, chapter or scene. It’s here that you can resolve the piece with an appropriate tone. At the start of the next session, listen to some of the previous audio before you start recording to get into a likely same style, pace and rhythm and keep consistency, albeit with a new ‘narrational tone’ to reset the storyline at the start of ...
Dec 03, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 702
2022.12.02 – 0701 – Character Relationships In Audiobook Narration A further step may be to note the relationships between characters. As we have seen before we adapt our vocal style depending on who we are talking to: 30-year-old Sam will speak to their mother in a different way to their spouse, friends or child, so consider who is in each scene and who each person interacts with. Also, relationships change over time: part of the arc of the book may be that two friends fall out and make up, and...
Dec 02, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 701
