The Definitions of Voice Over and the Tools of the Trade
June 11, 2009
Voice overs are quickly becoming one of the most important elements of any marketing strategy and advertising campaign, and are a valuable way to persuade your target market consistently, and effectively. By adding a human element to your marketing messages, you can encourage people to pay attention, boost sales, and most importantly, create a positive brand connection with all customers.
Marketers looking to incorporate professional voice work into their campaigns should understand a few key terms and their definitions in order to communicate effectively with professionals in the voice over industry.
Audition Tapes: Along with their applications, potential vocal talent will send an audition tape containing a few brief examples of their work. These are useful in keeping track of your prospects and comparing their individual skills and talents.
Demo Tapes: Demo tapes are also part of the interview and audition process, and can be recorded in your own studio, or completed by the voice over talent. These tapes will be a recording of the sample scripts you provide as part of the interview.
Recording Studio: To complete any voice work, you will need a studio in which it can be recorded. While you always have the option of renting a studio for a project, you should always ask voice talent if they have the equipment to record at home, as this will save you the cost of studio time.
ISDN: ISDN recordings, which have greater clarity than recordings produced by the average recording studio, are generally used by professional voice actors and actresses.
Commercial Voice Overs: These are primarily targeting customers with a direct sales approach, and will push a product or service as part of the script. Commercial voice overs are powerful marketing tools that can deliver a message with high impact.
Narrative Voice Overs: These voice overs are not recorded for the express purpose of sales, but accompany some sort of video recording, complementing the story told by the on-screen action. You should not, however, discount their worth in marketing projects, as they can complement video advertisements exceedingly well.
Impressions: These are the types of voice overs that impersonate a famous person, celebrity, or imitate an historically famous personality. Impressions are a great way to make your message stand apart from the competition, and you can find many royalty-free scripts with this distinguishing feature in mind.
Performers’ Unions: Unions such as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Screen Artists Guild, in addition to advocating for the rights of their members and dealing with pay rate issues, provide voice actors and actresses valuable opportunities to grow and develop their skiills.
Actors: Voice over professionals are often individuals who were trained in drama and gravitated to the field of voice work because of their marketable skills and talents. A skilled voice actor or actress is a huge asset to any marketing project.
Whether you’re working with actors, professional artists, or just sourcing for new talent, you’ll need a process to find the right match for your project. Being comfortable with the terminology of the industry can help you work with professionals and find the right fit with ease.