{"id":348,"date":"2014-05-19T20:30:25","date_gmt":"2014-05-19T20:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/?p=348"},"modified":"2021-11-20T17:27:17","modified_gmt":"2021-11-20T17:27:17","slug":"the-7-pillars-of-voiceover-technique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/the-7-pillars-of-voiceover-technique\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Pillars of Voiceover Technique: UP YOUR #VOICEOVER GAME"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Voiceover technique comes in many shapes and forms, and you\u2019ve most likely heard them all referred to at one time or another.\u00a0 If you have, please excuse this blog as a mere exercise for me to finally just organize my knowledge of the main aspects of voiceover technique.\u00a0 It often feels like homework to me and I am having a very brief moment of inspiration so I must act swiftly.\u00a0 If you\u2019re new to the voiceover business, read on.\u00a0 You will begin to quickly understand the main ways in which to approach your voiceover training and comprehension of what you will need to check off your list in order to make your script approach compelling, believable, and to the point.\u00a0 The main checkpoints in voiceover that we will cover now are as folllows: pacing, inflection, underscoring of keywords\/points, your audience, your character\/personality, intention, and most importantly, understanding of and connection to the writer\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

PACING<\/span>:\u00a0 When you read a voiceover script too fast or too slow, both of these speeds will make it sound like you are reading words off a piece of paper.\u00a0 Words that are not your own.\u00a0 You have already lost the job.\u00a0 The simplest way to approach pacing is to start listening to everyday conversations you have.\u00a0 It might even be easier if you are a fly on the wall and get to just listen and observe others in the act already.\u00a0 Your own navel-gazing while talking might be distracting.\u00a0 All around you there are conversations taking place, and they are all playing out at the exact perfect pace they should because they are real.\u00a0 There is no pretense there.\u00a0 This is what you need in your own delivery so that no one will hear an \u201cannouncement.\u201d\u00a0 What you have just read is about general pacing of the entire script, but there is also internal pacing which happens when actors get greedy or careless.\u00a0 This comes in the form of pauses at unnecessary moments in the script, or pauses where a comma directs them but in a much longer form than needed.\u00a0 We don\u2019t speak in natural conversation with long pauses – we take the bare minimum we need if it\u2019s necessary to either connect ideas or create drama.\u00a0 If you add too long a pause somewhere it\u2019s not needed, you will sound like you are \u201cperforming.\u201d\u00a0 If you take too short of a pause, you will sound like you are reading and running sentences or ideas together.\u00a0 When you record yourself, listen for the pauses and then ask yourself if they were necessary or if you could have skipped it entirely, and then correct it.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a sentence where I see the mistake happen a lot:\u00a0 \u201cIt can when it\u2019s the True Blue Family of Checking Products from Eastern Bank.\u201d\u00a0 Almost everyone will pause after the \u201ccan\u201d \u2013 but if you take real notice you will see that is unnecessary.\u00a0 It can what?\u00a0 It can when.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Need.\u00a0 To.\u00a0 Pause!\u00a0 Stop it!\u00a0 Ok, enough about pacing for now.\u00a0 Let\u2019s move on.<\/p>\n

INFLECTION<\/span>:\u00a0 Inflection is defined as the modulation of intonation or pitch in the voice.\u00a0 Synonyms for inflection are stress, cadence, rhythm, accent, emphasis, lilt, tone, etc.\u00a0 To use layman\u2019s terms I like to refer to inflection as the high (up) and low (down) tones of how you say a word.\u00a0 We\u2019re gonna go over the \u201cgeneral\u201d ways people use inflection in everyday speech and the emotional tone it conveys, but keep in mind this is one of those rules that will get broken given a specific context.\u00a0 No I can\u2019t think of a context right now.\u00a0 Sorry.\u00a0 The right voiceover script will reveal its needs to you and you will just know.\u00a0 But generally speaking, here\u2019s how we use a high\/up inflection:\u00a0 to convey friendliness, openness, excitement, positivity, to convince, to question, to incite.\u00a0 We need these things in a voiceover performance or we won\u2019t sound accessible, likeable, relatable.\u00a0 Too much of this inflection choice, however, will result in sounding like you\u2019re trying too hard, trying to convince.\u00a0 As for the low\/down inflection, we use this to convey:\u00a0 confidence, absolute certainty, no ifs-ands-or-buts about it, warmth, sincerity, intelligence.\u00a0 Too much of this inflection will have you sounding flat, serious, cocky.\u00a0 But for the most part, this is not only the trending inflection choice but the one that makes the most sense.\u00a0 We use this inflection choice when we know what we are talking about.\u00a0 This is what any strong leader\/representative needs more of.<\/p>\n

UNDERSCORING\/EMPHASIZING KEY WORDS AND KEY POINTS:<\/span>\u00a0 This one is pretty critical.\u00a0 This one truly allows you to sound engaged, to sound like you know what you\u2019re saying and what your purpose is.\u00a0 This one tells the writer you \u201cget it.\u201d\u00a0 The emphasizing of what\u2019s important in the voice over script, in each and every sentence, comes from script analysis.\u00a0 I am AMAZED how many people literally look at a script and start reading and performing it out loud without having done any contemplative inward reading\/analysis first.\u00a0 This can only result in one thing, and yes I have said it before a thousand times \u2013 sounding like you are reading.\u00a0 Well, that\u2019s what you are doing yes?\u00a0 Until you stop reading and start understanding, you will always be an amateur.\u00a0 Think about what we do when reading an article or a novel \u2013 we UNDERSTAND, we ABSORB, we FEEL.\u00a0 Yes this is harder to do with the emotional vacuum that a voiceover can many times be, but what else can we do?\u00a0 We must find the connection, the meaning, anything\u2026..an intention from the writer in his message.\u00a0 Each and every sentence has a point.\u00a0 Take this sentence for example \u2013 \u201c What if the spoon and the lid dripped back into the saucepan?\u201d\u00a0 I ask students all the time what the most important word is here and the answer has run the gamut.\u00a0 I will refute them now.<\/p>\n

If \u2013 Really?<\/p>\n

Dripped \u2013 In context maybe, but alone can be negative.\u00a0 So, there\u2019s got to be better.<\/p>\n

Spoon and\/or lid \u2013 What about them?\u00a0 Other companies make those too.<\/p>\n

Saucepan \u2013 see spoon and lid.<\/p>\n

Back \u2013 Not bad, not bad.\u00a0 This speaks to why this product is better than others.\u00a0 But back where?\u00a0 Where?<\/p>\n

INTO.\u00a0 That\u2019s where.\u00a0 This product is superior because it\u2019s saucepan has the sauce dripping back INTO it\u2019s pot, not out of it and all over the stovetop.<\/p>\n

This is what you must do on EVERY SINGLE SENTENCE.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t get it, you won\u2019t \u201cget\u201d it.<\/p>\n

YOUR AUDIENCE:\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0Who is this product being marketed to?\u00a0 Who are you talking to?\u00a0 Who in your life do you know who fits this target market?\u00a0 Pick that person and literally visualize them in front of you.\u00a0 Take it steps further \u2013 where are you?\u00a0 What are you both wearing?\u00a0 Are you at a restaurant?\u00a0 Living room?\u00a0 Sharing coffee or a beer?\u00a0 Walking in the park?\u00a0 Get a feel for the tone of the script and use your best judgement there.\u00a0 When you place yourself somewhere with someone you now have a level of reality and you gotten further away from the microphone, from \u201creading.\u201d\u00a0 This level of imagination and intention will go as far as any mechanical technique and probably further.\u00a0 It is the tip of the iceberg into the actual acting part of voice-acting.\u00a0 That\u2019s another blog article entirely.<\/p>\n

YOUR CHARACTER\/PERSONALITY:\u00a0 HOW are you going to read this voiceover script?\u00a0 What personality traits will you embody?\u00a0 The adjectives will likely be given to you by the writer in the form of \u201cspecs.\u201d\u00a0 Let\u2019s just always operate as if you are NOT being given a description of how they want this performed and you must figure it out for yourself.\u00a0 How will you do that?\u00a0 Reading the script.\u00a0 Again and again.\u00a0 Until you \u201cget it.\u201d\u00a0 There is information given in the script \u2013 \u201cthe McRib is back at McDonalds for a limited time.\u201d\u00a0 And there is the \u201cother stuff.\u201d –\u00a0 This is the stuff the writer uses as his creative tool for building a \u201cstory\u201d around the information.\u00a0 Take that word \u201cstory\u201dwith a grain of salt, as often it is not so much a story as it is a brief essence of the personality of the person delivering the information.\u00a0 So after the information (McRib is back\u2026.) comes the personality \u2013 \u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d\u00a0 What kind of person gives you good news and then says that?\u00a0 Is it someone warm, friendly, smart?\u00a0 No \u2013 it\u2019s someone wry, sarcastic, confident, playful.\u00a0 So that\u2019s what you must be because clearly that\u2019s what the writer wants.\u00a0 Take the sentence, \u201cThey\u2019re simple solutions, but if you think about it, it makes for a much smarter kitchen.\u201d\u00a0 Who are you there?\u00a0 I\u2019m going to go with a \u201cthinker\u201d, an \u201cimprover\u201d, an \u201cintellectual.\u201d\u00a0 Any guess is better than no guess.\u00a0 Any guess puts you at the human being level, much better than the \u201creading a script\u201d level.\u00a0 The writer always leaves clues as to your character.\u00a0 Investigate and discover them.\u00a0 They are your tool for bringing the script to something beyond just information-giving.\u00a0 They give YOU life.<\/p>\n

INTENTION:\u00a0 William Esper said that \u201ctruth is the blood of acting.\u201d\u00a0 After all the voiceover techniques you have learned so far, none come close to the power of connecting with your intention . . . connecting with the truth.\u00a0 Yes, there are a lot of crummy voiceover scripts out there, and not a lot of emotional connection to be had \u2013 but within every script is a writer.\u00a0 A real human being who wrote some thing from some place of truth.\u00a0 Find it and it\u2019s yours to embrace and bring to life.\u00a0 Having trouble finding your exact intention?\u00a0 Make your go-to intention that of BEING CONVINCED, not trying to convince.\u00a0 Read from a place of conviction and you can\u2019t go wrong.\u00a0 Understand the script even better than that, and you\u2019ll do even more than \u201ccan\u2019t go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

THE WRITER\u2019S MIND:\u00a0 Analyzing the voiceover script<\/a> gets you inside the writer\u2019s mind.\u00a0 The writer is one of the key players in deciding the winning voice.\u00a0 Many of the previous sections you have just read (especially key words\/points) all speak to the writer\u2019s mind and giving the writer exactly what he has imagined in his own head.\u00a0 The only last piece of info to remember here is that the MESSAGE is not to be confused with the STRUCTURE.\u00a0 The message comes from the product people, and that is not where the writer works.\u00a0 The writer works at BBDO, not McDonald\u2019s.\u00a0 The message is about McDonald\u2019s, so remember that to connect with the WRITER, you need to see how he actually structured the message.\u00a0 Same message, but two different writers could deliver in very different ways.\u00a0 Remember you are auditioning for the writer and you\u2019re getting closer already to connecting with the important part of the script \u2013 the style.<\/p>\n

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These pillars of voice over technique will never change.\u00a0 They are the foundation for nailing the meaning, personality, and message at the heart of any voiceover script.\u00a0 Voiceover trends<\/a>, on the other hand, will speak to the industry and how it operates, and it\u2019s great to keep up with that revolving door and how it\u2019s swinging. You\u2019ve got your work cut out for you.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Voiceover technique comes in many shapes and forms, and you\u2019ve most likely heard them all referred to at one time or another.\u00a0 If you have, please excuse this blog as a mere exercise for me to finally just organize my knowledge of the main aspects of voiceover technique.\u00a0 It often feels like homework to me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-voice-over-gurus-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":540,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions\/540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}