11
Single Voice

In This Chapter

You’ll find more about creating characters and more scripts at AOVA.VoiceActing.com.

Working Solo

The Myth... Exposed

A common myth about voiceover is that you must have a great voice to be successful. This couldn’t be further from the truth! You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again: Voice acting is not about your voice… it’s about what you can do with your voice.

This myth can probably be traced back to the early days of radio when commercials were the dominant genre of voiceover and featured a prominent “announcer” with crisp articulation, deep tones and a smooth delivery. Early radio programs featured top entertainers of the day and full-cast productions of dramatic, adventure, and other popular stories. The performers were actors and they almost always worked as an ensemble cast. But the “announcer” was the voice of the advertisers who paid for the production and air time. He was not an actor—and he worked solo.

With rare exceptions, the top announcers of the day were all men who had a talent for driving a lot of sales for the show sponsors. Announcing on radio was all about selling. There was a certain style of writing and delivery for selling the sponsor’s products, which often tended to focus more on the words or sales message in the script than on telling a story.

Since those early days of radio, voiceover work has expanded into dozens of other genres and there have been hundreds of changes in the way we work as voice actors. One of those changes is that in today’s voiceover world, we almost always work solo, regardless of the genre. The days of the ensemble voiceover cast working together are almost gone.

Tell Me... Don't Sell Me

Advertising has changed. Contemporary advertising copy writers understand that what worked in the early days of radio—or even just a few years ago—does not work with today’s audiences. The days of the smooth, deep voice announcer are long gone. Today’s trend in advertising is for a younger voice speaking in a conversational tone with the advertiser’s message often woven into a clever telling of a story.

Of course, poorly written scripts crammed with information, statistics and irrelevant details are still common, and there are those claiming to be voice talent who are little more than “announcers” reading from their script. Fortunately, the realization that voiceover is, in reality, voice acting, is helping to create a new generation of story tellers.

It's All About the Story

The majority of advertising and promotional copy is written for a single voice actor who will deliver the entire message. In some cases there might be a separate tag line which may or may not be voiced by a different performer. Because there is only one character speaking, any interaction is implied, either between the character speaking and any unheard other characters or between the performer and the listener.

Radio and television commercials are all about the advertiser’s story. A well-written commercial will put the advertiser’s message or product in the context of a compelling story that will motivate or inspire the listener to take the desired action, or at the very least put that advertiser or product “top of mind.”

Advertising copy writers will write a commercial script to reach a specific demographic group or target audience. This group is usually referred to by gender and age range, for example: women, 25–35 or men 30-45. However, your performance must be focused on speaking to only one person. Knowing the broader demographic can help, but there can be some confusion when the copy writer and you, as the actor, have differing intentions. If you ask the writer or producer specifically who you are speaking to (the one person), she will probably not know what you are talking about or may reply in terms of the demographic group. You need to be able to quickly determine your audience based solely on the script and, if you are lucky, any additional information the producer might provide.

The target audience of a single-voice script can usually be determined pretty easily; however, sometimes it can be a challenge to define the character speaking. Well-written copy will usually define your character and the audience within the script. Poorly written copy that contains only facts and figures can make this difficult.

Whether it’s a radio commercial or a corporate training video, or an audio book, think of single-voice copy as a story you are telling. Make sure you fully understand the story, then find your inner storyteller and commit to the attitude and style choices you make.

The trend in single-voice delivery is toward having a conversation with another person. Make the other person the ideal person who needs to hear what you have to say and decide what your attitude will be as you speak to that person. Be natural, believable, and candid, speaking to only one person at a time. Shotgunning, or trying to speak to several people at once, tends to make your delivery sound more like a speech than a conversation, although that may be appropriate for some types of copy.

Telling the Story in Time

Commercials, by their very nature, need to be delivered within a specific time-frame with the most common broadcast lengths being:10,:15,:20,:30, and:60 and Web advertising, infomercials and other marketing messages can be of any length. If you are voicing a spot message for broadcast, your goal should be to deliver the script about one-half to a full second shorter than the length of the commercial. This allows time for production value like music and sound effects. Of course, if your delivery runs too long or short, there are editing techniques and digital time compression processes that can be used. Radio is less critical than TV, but if the script says:30, you should do your best to bring your delivery a bit shorter. If you understand your body’s internal timing, you should be able to deliver any well-written script in the allotted time.

In previous chapters, I’ve covered many ways to wood shed a script and dozens of techniques for bringing the words to life. Now, I’m going to suggest something radically different: Try performing your script completely cold the first time through. Don’t analyze the script and don’t perform with any pre-conceived notions. Just let the words guide you through your interpretation. Read the script slowly, word by word, without inflection or dynamics and without any concern about timing. Well-known voice acting coach, Patrick Fraley refers to this technique as reading like a first grader. The idea is that as you slowly work your way through the script, you will instinctively get a sense of the story and how to tell it. You will also discover complex phrases and difficult words. Once you’ve got that, you can begin a more thorough script analysis to hone your performance.

Script Formats

The scripts in this chapter focus on commercials and public service announcements that must be performed within a specific time. Other single-voice genres, like promo, imaging, narration and audio book are covered in the following chapters.

Although there are a few common formats for this type of copy, there are no real standards. There can be many different written references to the performer, such as VO, ANNCR, or TALENT—and all may be used interchangeably. You may also see references to music, SFX (sound effects), and even directorial cues, which are not to be read by the performer. The format may be single-spaced or double-spaced and may or may not include a separate column for video and other instructions. Read everything on the page in order to fully understand the message and your character’s role. Then quickly run through your Seven Core Elements to set your choices.

Tips for Performing Single-Voice Copy

• You are a storyteller, and stories are always about relationships. Find the relationships in the story you are telling.
• Analyze the copy for character, mood, attitude, conflict, rhythm, and so on. (See Chapter 10, “The Character in the Copy.”)
• Look for the message, image, feeling, or unique quality that the advertiser wants to communicate to the listener. What separates this product or service from its competitors?
• Find the subtext, thoughts and feelings behind the words.
• Determine who the one perfect audience is and why she should be listening to what you have to say.
• Speak conversationally, having the expectation of a response. Talk to the other person, not at him or her. Don’t “read.”
• Determine the creative strategy that will enable you to build dramatic tension and allow for expression of the message. Use sense-memory techniques to locate tension in your body and speak from that place.
• Deliver the first line of copy in a way that will interrupt the listener’s thoughts and bring them in to listening to your story.
• Be careful not to telegraph the message or send a message of “here comes another commercial.”

Single-Voice Scripts

As you work with the scripts in this chapter, you might find it interesting to read through the script before reading the copy notes. Come up with your interpretation for attitude, pacing, character, and performance, and then read through the notes to see how close you came to what the producers of these projects intended. You’ll find more scripts and associated recordings at AOVA.VoiceActing.com.

Recycling—Generic PSA

Title: “It’s the right thing to do”

Media: Radio:30

Talent: Male or Female

Style: Conversational

Copy Notes: This is a public service announcement to promote recycling. Pace needs to be quick, but very conversational.

Auto—New Car—Manx Motors

Title: “Flying”

Media: Radio:30

Talent: Male or Female

Style: Nostalgic, inspiring

Copy Notes: Warm, low-key delivery. Not projected. Conversational, as if sharing secrets with a close friend.

Travel—AHM Travel

Title: “Here and there”

Media: TV:30

Talent: Male or Female

Style: Deliberate and authoritative

Copy Notes: Delivery should be direct and specific. Speak with a sense of authority and a deliberate tone of voice, not unlike a lecture, but slightly tongue in cheek. Use the play on words to point out the frustration of traveling.

Auto—Used Car—Bob Boblaw Motors

Title: “Right Now”

Media: Radio:60

Talent: Male

Style: Conversational

Copy Notes: This is a comparison of “eternal optimist” vs. “reality check.” Contrast between options and reality needs to be a clear change-up or shift in attitude and subtext. Variety is essential, but not to the point of being “over the top.”

Banking—Millibrook Credit Union

Title: “Pens & Toasters”

Media: Radio:30

Talent: Male/Female

Style: Conversational

Copy Notes: Comparing “then” vs. “now.” Starts off a bit nostalgic, but quickly move to a touch of sarcasm. Last paragraph needs to have some compassion and hope. Moves fast.

Restaurant—Poseidon

Title: “Our Place”

Media: Radio:60

Talent: Female

Style: Conversational

Copy Notes: Friendly, sharing a great experience.

Retail—Jewelle's Diamonds

Title: “From Your Heart to Hers”

Media: Radio:30

Talent: Male

Style: Conversational and helpful

Copy Notes: First part states the problem, possibly somewhat tongue in cheek. Second part gives the solution with a sense of pride and warmth.