Recording a Voiceover - Something you should always remember.

Ok, so there are LOADS of things to remember when you step into that enclosed, airless, soundproofed box to record a commercial, showreel, narrative etc but I thought I'd share my thoughts on one golden rule I always encourage as a voiceover coach/producer and that thing....melody.

It may sound a bit ridiculous, "What's he on about? We're not singing a song!" but if you think about what it is you are actually doing in recording your voice it is actually very important. Yes, we aren't singing a song but you need to input a sense of that when recording your voice, otherwise you will end up sounding one dimensional and flat.

Every commercial you record will have a certain energy and most likely a background musical track. You need to embrace the energy of the track and the read and get your voice to sit perfectly within this energy.

This is where melodic thinking comes into play. You may not immediately relate to the background music track so think about music that you know and think about the feeling that it gives you.

A good example of this recently was when I was recording a voiceover for a big brand and halfway through they suddenly realised that they were using the wrong music track. We carried on with the same energy that I'd used previously which was quite light and bouncy. It didn't feel right for me so I suggested that we changed the style of the read to a more 'weighty' and slightly more 'serious' one to go with the new heavier, thuddier, rock music.

I changed my melodic thought and body language and we nailed it.

Whether you are reading for a 'bouncy' car advert or a 'sad and serious' charity read, melody plays an important role in your voiceover thought process.

As a coach and producer for the Voicereel Online I always encourage this in my clients and the results are always huge!

So remember, think musically, think melodically. It will bring the bounce to your read!

If you are interested in getting into the voiceover world

email me for a friendly chat thevoicereelonline@gmail.com