Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice-Over Voice

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 t...

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...

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. &nb...

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 terminolog...

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 t...

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...

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 an...

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...

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 gui...

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...

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 stil...

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 audi...

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...

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...

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 ·  &nbsp...

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 ab...

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...

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 al...

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...

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-bo...

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 vo...

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 th...

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...

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,...

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, relations...