The Insane Voice Over Read

Albert Einstein may have understood voice over technique himself when he defined Insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  Peter Pamela Rose of Acting Business Boot Camp, however, recently reminded me of this genius quote.  Thanks PPR.  So – are you insane?  If you feel like you might be in a voiceover rut and needing a new game plan, start by identifying your own insanity (mindless repetition), and then move towards a way of correcting it.

                Start by recording yourself reading the same script several times in a row.  Do you notice any patterns being set up in these performances?  Are you always pausing after a specific word?  Are you always going up in your inflection at the start of a certain sentence?  It’s time to break that up and shake it up.  You need to literally force yourself to read it differently each time, if only as an exercise in exploration and flexibility.  I often refer to using the 3-in-a-row voiceover technique when people are trying to find a specific exercise for getting out of that stuck-in-the-mud pattern.  I find that when students are reading the script the exact same way over and over again, that this technique works wonders.  They isolate single sentence, examine where the importance is, put emphasis on it, and then try putting that emphasis across in three different ways using inflection and articulation changes, and even pausing and pacing changes.  You might find your way back to the same read you were doing in the first place and decide it’s the best choice – but now you will at least KNOW it’s the best choice by comparison.  Using this technique will push you outside of your comfort zone, and that’s one of the best ways to create new strategies, new styles, new ways of refreshing your game.  If you fall into patterns too consistent, too comfortable, they can be stifling, and at their worst, can put you on robotic autopilot mode – which ultimately makes it sound like you are reading words of paper instead of speaking naturally and off the cuff.  Give this exercise a try, and find your sanity.