How Quickly Can You Do It?
It’s a question laced with ambiguity and one that we as voiceovers are asked numerous times a week.
It’s easy to take off at the speed of light and record something quickly, though sometimes that can create more work later on…
Let’s say I’m booked to provide a voiceover for an Explainer video and I’m sent the script to record. OK, great. I go ahead and record and send the audio back to the client.
But before recording the voiceover I should know things like…
“How long does the voiceover need to be?”
“Who’s the audience or target market?”
“What style of video is being produced?”
“Is music being used, if so what style and pace?”
Having insight to these aspects helps a voiceover deliver a read that is right for the product and brand, first time.
It’s pointless a voiceover racing ahead and recording a script at a pace they think it should be read at…
If that first read runs to 3 minutes but the producer already knew the voiceover needed to be 2 minutes, not relaying that information before recording creates double the work for both of us! Now, we have to start all over again and now the “quick turnaround” isn’t so quick after all.
If a customer asks for a bespoke product like an oak spiral staircase, the craftsman creating the staircase needs specific information before starting work in order to make something that is both beautiful and practical. Well, it’s the same when you book a voiceover, there are certain things that the voice artist needs to know, to ensure the end result works in terms of pace, tone and expression.
Every piece of work that a voiceover delivers is unique, it’s our craft to find the “light and shade” in the prose to wake up the words and highlight the meaning behind the message.
As in a piece of art, the voiceover works in motion with sound, music and style to create something memorable that resonates with a particular audience.
Whether it’s a dynamic advertisement or a languid, reassuring narration, it’s so important to give the voiceover a good level of information so they can paint a picture with sound.
If you’re casting a voiceover for a project, here are some ways that you can help the process:
Timing is everything! If you are working to a duration e.g. a 30 second commercial, make timings clear and factor in other elements within the audio such as, if there are lots of sound effects in the commercial using 5 seconds of time, what you actually need is a 25 second voiceover.
Read between the lines! The content of the script may be clear, but how do you envisage the end result will sound? Do you want a natural, casual, conversational voice or do you need something punchy and charismatic to really make people stop and listen?
Under promise, over deliver! Yes, we’ve all heard it a thousand times but, when you’re in business it’s crucial to exceed a customer’s expectations. So, being clear at the start of a transaction on things like turnaround time and what is included in the voiceover service, helps voiceovers make sure they deliver what is required and by when it’s required.
Taking just a little time to confirm these details to a voiceover at the start of the production process, can help make sure that the “quick turnaround” really does stay “quick” and avoids unnecessary work for everyone later on.
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Pondering which voiceover to cast on your next production? Get in touch, I’ll be happy to send you a quote and a demo.
Email: tabitha@tabithawakley.com Call: UK mobile + 44 (0) 7 876 252 858 Call: FR mobile + 33 (0) 7 68 69 16 28
