How to Make a Great Documentary Voiceover

The quality of a documentary voiceover is what makes or breaks the film. The voice narrator in a documentary is not treated as a priority in the viewer’s mind. Poor narration in the film can be a distraction to the viewing experience no matter how fascinating or boring a documentary is. Below are some of the ways to make an exceptional documentary voiceover in Nashville, TN.

Use Your Voice to Attract the Audiences

Amazing actors from Hollywood will tell you time and again that they earn a living doing voiceovers. Becoming a great voiceover actor is an art that is not reserved for everyone. The artistic nature of doing character voiceovers becomes even more evident when doing documentary voiceovers. Documentaries serve a different purpose than conventional films do. In a documentary, the narrator plays a big role on how good or bad the final product is. The narration of the documentary should be consistent with the content for clarity purposes, only natural voices should be heard in the documentary.

Narrate In Line With the Documentary’s Tone

Today, documentaries touch on different issues; from celebrity lives to emerging issues like global warming. Casting directors have to figure out which voice narrator would deliver the message along with the content coherently. Traditionally, it is unlikely there is a documentary talking about global warming being narrated by a teenage girl. Same applies to a documentary about Miley Cyrus being narrated by a solemn professional. It is however not an absolute rule on who does a documentary voiceover since the choice of voiceover talent will depend on the target audience.

Localize Your Documentary Narration

Documentaries attempt to explain global issues which means that they speak to a global audience. Since you are speaking to people in different parts of the world, try and localize the voice to a certain part of the world. If you are doing a documentary voice for a Nashville, TN audience, localizing the voice will allow you to resonate with the locals. To navigate the problem of appealing to the audience, documentaries voices are made using different voices for the same documentary. Examples of documentary voiceovers that have been done using different voices include that of actor David Attenborough who was selected to narrate the documentary “Planet Earth” for the original BBC version while Sigourney Weaver did the Discovery Channel’s US version. 

5 Tips for Nailing a Character Voice Audition

So you think you are the best voiceover talent in Nashville, TN? Can you do squeaky voices, mimic popular cartoon characters, come up with funny accents? Do you think all those qualities combined are enough to get you into the character voice over industry? While such talents are exceptional when doing voiceovers, fleshing out all the elements of a good character voice requires soling your acting chops. Your character voice must be unique; not always going for the obvious. We can all agree that mimicking Mickey Mouse is impressive but since it has already been done-we already know what Mickey Mouse sounds like. When you go for a character voice audition, consider the following tips.

Take Time Studying the Copy

It actually helps a lot if you take your time going through the copy. Read it several times if need be so that you are able to express different sides of the character you are playing. Depending on the scene you are portraying, know exactly when to adjust your pitch, volume and pacing while staying in character. Such actions tend to portray the different moods your character will be using.

Add Your Own Personality into the Character

During a character voiceover audition, your own subtle voice traits can add some flavor to the character. You can create expression such as laughing, sighing or even singing as part of your character expression.

Follow Directions

Nothing is more disheartening to a casting director than dealing with a voice actor who can't take direction and instruction. Character voiceover auditions in Nashville, TN can be brutal at times. Don’t go into a live audition and start making demands to have things done your way. Always have a fall-back plan in case things don’t go your way. If your first character version is rejected, try and have a second version for consideration. Be flexible!

Make ‘em Laugh

You need to understand that casting directors are looking for a voice over talent that can “find the humor” and deliver a line or two their way that will make them laugh. This is one way of making your audition stand out among hundreds of voice over recordings in Nashville, TN that the directors have to listen to before choosing a voiceover actor.

Do your Homework

Auditioning for a voiceover role without prior knowledge of what the role entails is like flying blind. Before the audition, do some research on the characters and where the show is going to air. Typically, different networks have different sets of audiences especially for animated content. Prior knowledge of the network where the show is going to air allows you to better interpret the characters. During the audition, be exciting as to how you interpret the script. A casting director would rather have you go over the top with your performance than hold back. The best advice here is to take risks and show your talent as a voiceover actor rather than deliver something that doesn't have any punch. 

Skills to Look For in a Good Story-Telling Narrator

Narrating a story is considered an artform. It involves more than just standing in front of an audience and telling the story. While virtually everyone can tell a story, a great narrator should go a step further and make the audience lose themselves in the story. This requires additional artistic skills such as the ability to do voice overs as well as acting talents. There is no doubt that the art of storytelling has evolved over time. In fact, scholars believe that before the Middle Ages, people had a habit of reading text out loud. Some aspects of traditional oral narration are still found in modern civilization which is why some of the American storytellers we see in a place like Nashville, TN are a reincarnation of traditional oral narration techniques. So what qualities should you look for in a storyteller that will bring your audiobook into life?

Great Articulating Skills

Articulation during narration should be as natural as possible. Under-articulation of the story make the narrator appear lazy and unintelligent. However, over-narration makes the story appear made up. This means that a good narrator should know how to balance the two extremes. More importantly, the narrator should be in a position to seamlessly adjust the story to suit specific needs.

Know when to use an Accent

Every person has their own specific accent. The only difference is the degree in which the accents occur in different people. Excellent narrators should know when and how to take their own accents from the story. Individual accents can be replaced by an acquired accent in line with the plot of the story as well as the character you are mimicking. Even with your original accent, you can use a Sam Elliott voice that mimics a cowboy’s voice from a story whose plot is in Nashville, TN.

Intuitive Pacing

Good voice actors know and understand when to speed through the dialogue when describing an action scene or when to pause or slow down just to let the words sink in. The pauses and breaths give the character in the story a human touch. However, the pacing and pauses should occur naturally in the story. It is worth stating that exaggerating pace is one of the things that a professional narrator will probably be looking to avoid.

Effective character differentiation

An excellent narrator is one who is able to incorporate effective character visualization into the text. This means a good narrator has to develop ways that distinctively differentiate one character from the other. This, however, may not require a lot of effort... as you simply have to make subtle changes to your voice so that the audience can identify the various characters in the story. The better the narrator can shift back and forth as needed like this, the better the overall narration will make the whole story flow.

A Definitive Guide to Getting Started with Your Voiceover Career

Voice acting has been in existence for some time now where people are paid to use their voice. However, perfection in this area is not as simple as it sounds. There is a lot that you need to understand before getting your first paid gig as a voice actor in Nashville, TN. There is nothing like “jumping into” becoming a voice actor. You are definitely going to need some training, equipment and, of course, most importantly, natural talent. The good news however is that despite the competitive nature of the voice over industry, there’ll always be an opportunity for everyone. If you have voice talent that can be tapped into the film, TV or radio industry, here is how to get started.

Hone Your Acting Skills

In the film industry, just having a pretty face is not a guarantee that you will become the next Brad Pitt or Kate Winslet. The same applies in the voiceover industry. Just because you have an amazing voice is not an assurance that you will ultimately become a voice actor rock star! Test your acting skills in a local actors workshop. Record yourself over and over and listen back with friends. Find some easy local markets for your talent and see how commercial or saleable your abilities are.

Use Feedback to Find Your Voice

It is sometimes hard to know where your destiny lies if don’t even know where to start. Voice acting is a massive industry in Nashville, TN and around the US. Simply because you have an amazing voice to do TV commercials does not imply that your voice would be perfect for video games or animation characters. Different genres require a unique set of skills which is why you need to figure out which part of the industry your voice is best suited for. A good starting point for determining this is by hiring a voice over coach. While hiring a professional voice coach will cost you, the feedback and advice you will get from a good coach is invaluable.

Have Your Voice over Demo Produced

Just like the fashion industry, there are emerging trends in the voice over industry. Previously, casting directors and other key players were impressed by flashy voice over demos with sound effects. Today, I believe things are a little bit different. The only thing that people looking for voice over actors want to hear is your voice. Apart from the voice, directors and potential clients will be looking for/listening for talent with interesting personalities displayed in your demo. Given the fast pace of the business overall, clients want to hear your vocal ability upfront and quickly and would rather not listen to over-produced demos.

Tips on How to Be a Good Voice Actor

Contrary to popular belief, voice acting is a lot different from film, theatre or TV acting. All these areas are loosely related despite the fact that most people pursuing film or TV acting at some point in their acting career opt to also do voice overs. Doing a TV voice or a radio voice over in Nashville, TN is increasingly becoming a popular career option for many people who started off as film or TV or stage actors. In addition to your acting career, becoming a voice actor is a rewarding and exciting career option that can pay really well. Just like any other acting career, doing voiceovers requires that you start from scratch. Everyone starts somewhere right? When starting off as a voice actor, it is not just your voice that matters. You need to bring your entire personality into the character you’re playing. Here are some basic steps that can move you closer to becoming a successful voiceover actor.

Take voice and voiceover classes.

Many of voice over actors went through voiceover classes. Since most of these classes are available in major cities, it becomes easier to learn new voices and dialect through professional training. If you are having a hard time accessing voiceover classes that are close to you, then you can take online classes from the comfort of your home or office. Needless to say, the fact that if becoming a voice actor is one of your career goals, take each day as a learning session and aim to improve yourself on a day to day basis. In addition to voice over lessons, you can also add some general voice lessons where you are taught to control your voice... breath control as well as other techniques that will improve your voice over skills.

Take Acting Classes

Adding some acting classes to your voiceover lessons can significantly improve your voiceover talent. In acting classes, you can learn some amazing skills that go hand in hand with doing voice overs. In acting classes you can also acquire self-confidence skills that will move your voice acting to a higher level of expertise. Acting and voice overs are co-related and dependent variables. This is because both of these careers require you to get into character. Regular acting classes will boost your voiceover skills especially when you throw in some improv and comedy skills as in a TV voice or a documentary voice.

Become Part of the Voice Acting Community

The acting scene is one of the most competitive today and can be difficult to gain new friends. However, you can become part of the character voice over community in Nashville, TN. Interacting with people pursuing a similar career as you are can be of immense benefit to you both personally and professionally. These are the people who understand the challenges of pursuing a career in voice acting and can offer helpful advice on issues related to voiceover talent.