{"id":5047,"date":"2015-09-14T13:39:01","date_gmt":"2015-09-14T13:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/?p=5047"},"modified":"2015-09-14T13:39:01","modified_gmt":"2015-09-14T13:39:01","slug":"optimize-your-voice-over-technique-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/14\/optimize-your-voice-over-technique-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Optimize Your Voice-Over Technique Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is from the Such A Voice archive, written by Catherine Marshall<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"BlogPractice\"<\/a>Optimizing your practice time on voiceover technique has several\u00a0advantages. While you want to avoid rushing through your voiceover\u00a0scripts, being more efficient at how you practice will make you a better\u00a0voiceover artist \u2013 faster. As you become more proficient at breaking down\u00a0copy, consistently using the basics, and coaching yourself as you go\u00a0along, your turn-around time for producing a high-quality product for\u00a0paying clients will shorten.<\/p>\n

Follow these 4 voice-over practice techniques to get more\u00a0bang for your buck (or time) on each voiceover script:<\/p>\n

1. Practice in front of a mirror.<\/strong> You will probably feel silly and self-conscious the first few times you do this, but looking into a mirror while\u00a0practicing voiceover scripts will help you improve in more ways than one.<\/p>\n

First of all, go ahead a try it! Find a mirror and try reading anything \u2013 the\u00a0back of your shampoo bottle, for example. Did you smile? Were your\u00a0head and body gestures natural, or did your body freeze up? If so, you\u00a0will be able to hear all of that in your voice. When you’re just getting\u00a0started as a voiceover artist \u2013 and maybe even after you are a pro, it can\u00a0be hard to remember to smile all the way through your read. If you\u00a0practice in front of a mirror, you can see exactly what you sound like.<\/p>\n

2. Memorize the first line of the script.<\/strong> Sometimes, even if\u00a0you practice a voiceover script that appeals to you, you will have trouble\u00a0delivering the lines naturally. When this happens (and trust me, it will\u00a0happen!), memorize the first line and then put down the script. Walk over\u00a0to a friend and say the line as conversationally as possible. Pretend that\u00a0the line you are having trouble with is something you say all the time.\u00a0Depending on what the copy is, you may want a “Hey, did you know X”\u00a0tone, or a “Can you believe what a great deal X is?” Your friend might\u00a0give you the hairy eyebrow, but capture your more casual tone of voice\u00a0and carry it through the rest of the script!<\/p>\n

3. Emulate commercials you like.<\/strong> Be careful with this one! I am not\u00a0suggesting that you get in the habit of always mimicking other voice over\u00a0artists. While you are practicing voiceover scripts and technique,\u00a0mimicking a successful voiceover talent will help you get into his or her\u00a0head and understand why the artist chose to read the spot that way.<\/p>\n

Start by picking a commercial that sticks with you, either because the\u00a0copy was witty, the voiceover artist has a memorable voice, or the\u00a0product interests you. Notice what emotions you hear in your own voice\u00a0when you imitate the voiceover artist. Ask yourself what the voiceover\u00a0artist accomplished by the tone, inflection, pace, and energy.<\/p>\n

4. Record yourself!<\/strong> That’s right \u2013 record yourself practicing your\u00a0voiceover scripts and play them back. I used to cringe when I had to\u00a0record my voicemail message, play it back and accept or re-record it.\u00a0“That’s not what I sound like!” Believe it or not, your phone, answering\u00a0machine, and tape recorder are not lying to you! Eventually I learned to\u00a0get over my shyness, and now my recorder is my best friend. For me,\u00a0listening to my playbacks helps me identify where to neutralize my faint\u00a0Southern accent, and it’s invaluable for listening for awkward breathing\u00a0places and rushed sentences. Plus, if I can’t “sell it” to myself, there is no\u00a0way the client will “buy it” either.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is from the Such A Voice archive, written by Catherine Marshall. Optimizing your practice time on voiceover technique has several\u00a0advantages. While you want to avoid rushing through your voiceover\u00a0scripts, being more efficient at how you practice will make … <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":816,"featured_media":20323,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","h5ap_radio_sources":[],"slim_seo":{"title":"Optimize Your Voice-Over Technique Practice","description":"In voice-over, practice only makes perfect when it's done the right way. Here are four tips that'll help you optimize your voice-over technique practice."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,15,16,17,18],"tags":[130,131,132,73],"popup":[],"class_list":["post-5047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-voice-over-industry","category-voice-over-performance","category-voice-over-preparation","category-voice-over-tips","category-voice-over-training","tag-voiceover-practice","tag-voiceover-script","tag-voiceover-technique","tag-voiceover-tips","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"mfb_rest_fields":["title"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/816"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5047"},{"taxonomy":"popup","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suchavoice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/popup?post=5047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}