A voice over actor just reads your script as well as possible, right? Of course, they will definitely do that. But a good voice over actor, thanks to their years of experience with countless scripts, can make your script stronger in all sorts of ways. We talked to Boet about this, one of our most experienced voice over artists. These were his top 5 tips to pass on to you.
Boet, how do you choose the character for the voice over that you’re going to record?
Boet: “A good start is to make reference to certain well-known characters. For example, the warm voice of a friend. The lively voice of a storyteller. Or the enthusiastic voice of a salesperson.
You might also think of the announcing tone of a presenter, the illuminating voice of an instructor, the informative voice of a spokesperson, or the warning tone of a preacher.
You can of course also choose to take the perspective of the client. Then I will sound like someone from your target audience. In this way we can decide together what kind of character best suits your brand, message and audience.”
Can the client, or technician, ask the voice over actor for suggestions?
“Yes, of course! We’re glad to help! A good voice over actor has a huge amount of experience in bringing a script to life. So, they can be a great help to you in choosing the right kind of character. It is often a question of trying out a number of different possibilities.
Then you hear quickly enough whether something works or not. So, you can confidently ask the opinion of a voice over actor, it can only make your commercial or video better, I think.”
Can you also improvise on the basis of a general idea?
“Yes, that can work really well. Provided you have the time and the trust of the client.
If there is humour in the text then it is definitely advisable to use that way of working. It’s tricky to think of everything from behind your desk.
You can challenge us as voice overs, see what happens and be astonished by the results.”
Are you ever asked to copy another voice over?
“That does happen on occasion. Then you’re directed towards an ad spot or a video of a competitor because they are seen as successful. But the danger there is that everything starts to sound similar.
And that in the BNR commercial break you get a series of ad spots that all sound exactly the same. You should be aware of that pitfall and instead, together with your voice over actor, look for a unique character that fits your brand.
Because, you want to sound like yourself and not like your competitor, right?”
How does speaking over music work?
“Many ad spots or videos have a soundtrack. In which case it’s super important to hear the music in advance of recording. If you do it the other way round then, 9 out of 10 times, it won’t really gel together nicely.
The music is vital for determining the atmosphere and the dynamics of the recording. By letting the voice over actor hear the music in advance, they can make sure that the two work in perfect symbiosis.
This is often passed over, but in my opinion is one of the most important tips I can give.”
Tips from a Dutch voice over
Boet was born in The Netherlands and raised in the African country of Liberia. Because he came in contact with a wide variety of nationalities from a young age, he speaks several languages accent-free. He has worked for Sony, Coca-Cola and Visa, among others and is considered the only man in the world who can do a perfect impression of Morgan Freeman. Find his American-English demo here, where you can hire Boet the voice over.
Ready to upgrade your script? Read more about it in our ebook on writing persuasive voice over scripts.
