Political Voice-Overing

Yesterday, I had the great opportunity to work in my chosen profession of voice overs one more time. It's always great to have a client you've worked with before to call for YOU. They could have used almost anyone but they chose to work with you.

This blog will share with my readers everything I deem interesting that I do, plan to do, or did in voice overs. Yesterday I got to do another job.

I'm rather near-sighted so when I get into the booth, I have to pull off my glasses to see the script. I first had to ask the engineer to set up the script stand for me. It was too short for me to be within 6-8 inches of the mic and see the script too. I've heard that it's inappropriate to attempt to adjust that yourself so I asked for help. He was probably happy that I didn't touch his setup anyway.

The client had arrived at the studio five minutes before the scheduled time for the recording and I finally got a chance to see the script. I barely had time to paruse the script before I was asked to 'run through' it for levels. This means read it in the way I intend to read it so that the engineer can set the knobs and studio controls to record it in the way that the volume and clarity will be best.

I read it pretty good for a first time through. Timing is always important too. Sometimes you might be asked to perform it in 30 seconds, 45 seconds, etc. Sometimes there is just too much text for the time constraint. After my initial read through, I gave it a go for real and pretty much nailed it.

Political spots are pretty easy because there is usually no accent or characterization you have to attempt to do. Just a feeling you have to impart. Do you like the candidate? Are you comparing the candidate favorably or unfavorably with another candidate? You can use your own style and voice to simply impart a certain feeling. Confidence, contempt, shame, whatever the client wants you to convey.

I've done a lot of spots in my career and politicals are for me the easiest of the lot. If you're a newcomer to this field, read my blog and I'll make sure to share a kernal of wisdom (or what I deem to be wisdom) in every one of my posts. Check back in often to see what's new at Voicing Images.