A voice over is a technique applied in radio production, television production, film making, presentations and theater. This technique involves an artist bringing in a voice. The interpreter may not be necessarily part of the narrative. This person reads from a script and it is also known as a voice talent.
There are two main forms of voice overs: synchronous and asynchronous. While synchronous dialogue requires voice talent to narrate the actions as they occur, asynchronous dialogue is prerecorded and set on top of the video, in order to explain the images that are being displayed.
Both synchronous and asynchronous voice overs allow you to add a personal touch to any video – making voice over a key part on video production. That said, not every voice put on top or synchronized on a video is called voice over. Depending on the production, the performer will need to fulfill certain characteristics.
We will discuss why a voice over is an important component of video and how to choose the right voice over for your video and finally how to choose the right voice over artist. Bur first, let’s clarify some terms.
Discussed here in are why a voice over is an important component of video and how to choose the right voice over for your video and finally how to choose the right voice over artist.
Voice over vs voice acting
A voice over is the sound record of a person known as a voice talent, reading a script to produce videos. Voice acting on the other hand is the art itself of doing a voice over, it required the performer to connect with their audience in an emotional level.
There are some voice over professionals working exclusively as announcers in advertisement, the reason is that ads do not necessarily need to establish a relation with the listener. Voice acting is used widely in animated films, TV programs, audio dramas, documentaries, games and podcasts among others.
Voice actors perform the role of reading and interpreting the script, depending on the context of the video. A voice over, although also depends on the context, they don’t really connect with emotions – they feel less “real”.
Voice over vs Dubbing
As we mentioned before, voice over are mostly plain narrations, with the aim of inform or give context. Voice dubbing, on the other hand, combines the voice of the performer and the original sounds of the video – that is, there are two sources of voice synchronized on the screen.
Voice dubbing is more accurate than voice over, as it requires the interpreter to take in the actions displayed on the screen and produce a voice that perfectly fits the character. Here, choice of word is very crucial as the translated video must be in line with the lip movement of the actors appearing on the screen.
Again, a voice over contains translation only aspect with little emphasis put on tone and emotional content while dubbing combines spoken words, tonal variation and dialect to pass a richer message.
Importance of a voice over
Explainer videos won’t have the same impact without professional voice over guiding the viewer through the images. With a proficient voice talent your video will:
Connect with people: A voice over talent will trigger all sort of emotions in the video, or maybe add a catchy tone to the ad. These is achieved through intonation, tone, fast or slow speaking and highs and lows.
Provide with clear message: Adding a voice over allows a video maker to effectively provide with understandable information to the audience. For instance, documentaries often use voice overs to give the viewer important background throughout the film’s track.
Get in your audience mind: Use of the right voice over artist makes the audience feel like you are more than a brand trying to sell a product. They can be turned faster into advocates of your brand.
Build trust: A voice over adds some level of credibility to your video. Therefore, your audience will feel related to your brand/product. Adding a native voice over creates familiarity which boosts trust on your video.
How to choose the right voice over
The right voice over will make your video lively and interesting while giving deeper details of your story. Although it main seem tough to find the right artist and voice tone, giving time to choose the voice over is a task you can’t overlook or take lightly. To make your life easier, check these tips to select the ideal voice and interpreter.
Choosing the right voice over artist for your video
Coming up with a perfect script is not enough to achieve the goal of the video, the voice talent needs to still connects with the audience to engage them.
Choosing the right voice over artist is quite troublesome due to every person has a different way of interpreting voices. You need to find a voice over artist who will bear your brand name, speak directly to your audience and make a long lasting impact. For that, we will give you some advice on choosing the right talent for your brand:
Gender: Products that are tailored to a particular gender naturally lender themselves to a voice over artist who represents the audience. However, there are cases of “neutral videos” where both male and female artist can perform the voice over. Nonetheless, female voice are highly used for these videos because by nature, women voice tones tend to be more nurturing, more compassionate, helpers and non-threatening. Female voice over artists are best applicable in instructional videos.
Voice tone: In voice over it is not what you say, but how you say it. Therefore, it is important to choose a voice over artist who can deliver your message in a way that echoes your brand and also influence your audience. It is also important to direct your artist over the tone of voice you would like them to use, depending on the message or the action you intent your users to commit to.
In conclusion
It is important to note that voice overs don’t guarantee your video will reach your target audience completely – for instance, people can watch it without sound.
Consequently, you should pay close attention to the attractiveness and originality of the visual.
Keep in mind what you want, the information you are presenting and the story you want to tell when it comes to choose a voice over for videos.
You should also consider the preference of your audience and the tone of your final video. Finally, you should note that a good voice can’t make up for a bad story. As much as you use a excellent voice artist to help with success of your project, a great script is a huge step towards success.
Or you can seek the advice from a professional explainer video company. Here at Top Explainers, we take care of the whole process for you. From writing the script, animation, voice over. Contact us for more information on how an animated video can help your business.
