So you have made a fantastic ad, it’s looking great and you’re near the finish line but you still need to record a VO. Recording a VO can be really fun and to make sure you get the best out of your VO artist we have put together a list of things to consider before the record to ensure you get the voiceover you were looking for.
Tone of voice
Describe as clearly as possible what sort of tone you are looking for. Should the voiceover be warm and friendly, excited and energetic or calm and soothing? Use as many describing words as you can think of to make sure your talent understands the tone that best suits your ad.
Audience
Give your VO artist some background. Where will the audience see your or hear your content? Will it be on TV, online or on the radio? An experienced VO artist will know to adjust their performance to suit the platform better. They also need to know a bit about the audience. Are you targeting women ages 25 – 30 or are you targeting men over 60? By offering this information to your VO artist, they will understand who they are talking to, which will result in a better, more tailored performance.
Share examples
Have you found some examples of what you would like? Or even examples of voiceover you don’t like? You should share these with your VO artist to help them understand what it is you are looking for. Sound can be very subjective and is often hard to describe so it sometimes helps to find existing examples that explain the style for you.
Another useful tip is to listen to your voice over artists reel or previous work so you can reference any styles or performance you particularly like.
Visual or audio references
If your final content will feature specific music or sound effects make sure your artist hears them before the record and also make sure they are available during the record so that you can work around them if necessary. The music will also help set the mood or tone of the content so will help the artist connect with your content.
VO friendly script
Make sure your script is VO ready. Have you read the script out loud? Is there anything that is tricky to say, or pronounce? Adding a column with the words spelt phonetically could help this. It is also useful to have a column for notes on how you would like things pronounced if they have multiple pronunciations. Make sure the script is written in a legible font in a good size and make sure you break up the sentences. A big block of text is harder to read than a list of sentences. All of these things will save you time in the record.
Timings
If your ad is only 30s long, make sure your script reads comfortably in 30s. Don’t try to cram too much in as your message can get lost. It can also be frustrating for your VO artist to balance fitting your script into 30s verses sounding like an auctioneer. The end result will suffer from a poorly timed script so be mindful of this when writing and preparing your script.
All of these tips should help you guide your VO artist and allow you to make the most out of your recording session.
If you are considering creating a TV commercial or any other form of video or animation content, contact Fable Studios. Fable Studios is a Creative-led, boutique video and animation studio who create tailored brand stories that endure in your audience’s mind. We combine your objectives with audience insights and inspired ideas to create unforgettable productions that tell the unique story of your brand.
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