Voiceover Artists
Great voiceover artists make a phenomenal difference to a training video production.
You should involve your client in this choice, playing samples from different productions you’ve made.
It’s possible to let the client pick from a voiceover website, but you have to be careful, as they can pick people who are one-trick ponies, or don’t have their own studio, and other negatives you need to avoid.
Offer a choice of one or two male and female voices, and most clients will feel quite happy that you’ve consulted them.
Their is no rule as to whether men or women make better voiceovers though, interestingly, the author has found that women often choose a male voice, while men prefer a woman’s voice!
To deliver a compelling voice narrative for your training video production
To be able to make small changes free of charge that the client may want, after the main editing is complete
Pointers
> Pro voiceovers cost £150-£250 per session, which can be from 5 mins to 30 mins runtime
> Only use voiceovers with their own recording studio.
> Where poss direct the session over the phone. The VO artist needs an ISDN connection for this. Don’t let a voiceover you are using for the first time do the session without you listening in to direct. Too many things can go wrong, eg, mispronunciations, wrong emphasis, wrong tone or tempo, wrong anything.
> Ask for different interpretations of key sections if you want, eg, slower, faster, more relating manner, flatter vs more impassioned
> Offer the client a choice of male or female
> Ensure artist will do small amends FOC
The author’s preference for training videos is to use a voiceover with a “relating, sensible-sounding” voice. Newscasters should possibly be avoided if they sound too bossy and direct. Likewise too much compassion can sound like the training topic is something to avoid. You can also choose between “more posh” or “more street”. But remember that you’re always looking for maximum appeal for your training video.
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