Monday, November 24, 2008

How Professionals Talk About Voice Over Work

By Terry J. Daniel

In marketing today, the perfect voice over can be the element that turns an advertising campaign that is simply good into a great one. Picking a voice with which your target market will identify, you can forge a human connection with your audience and enjoy the resultant boost in sales.

Marketers looking to incorporate professional voice work into their campaigns should understand a few key terms and their definitions in order to communicate effectively with professionals in the voice over industry.

Audition Tapes: Prospective voice actors and actresses will submit their audition tapes as they apply for the job. In addition to allowing you to judge the abilities of each actor, these tapes also can be kept on hand to help you keep track of the numerous applicants you will be interviewing.

Demo Tapes: Demo tapes are also part of the interview and audition process, and can be recorded in your own studio, or completed by the voice over talent. These tapes will be a recording of the sample scripts you provide as part of the interview.

Recording Studio: This is where all recording of audition tapes, demo tapes, and other related material takes place. You can rent a recording studio for your project, or request your voice over talent to make their own tapes at their recording studio and submit them accordingly.

ISDN Voice Over: Recording studios used for professional voice over work should be equipped with ISDN technology. ISDN produces clearer, better-quality recordings than you could obtain from a run-of the mill studio.

Commercial Voice Overs: These are primarily targeting customers with a direct sales approach, and will push a product or service as part of the script. Commercial voice overs are powerful marketing tools that can deliver a message with high impact.

Narrative Voice Overs: These voice overs are intended to entertain the audience by helping to tell a story, and are often included in media such as television and film. You still may require a narrative voice over, however, for your ad campaign, if it tells some type of story.

Impressions: A voice actor or actress who can impersonate a famous voice can add an extra layer of humor to your ad campaign, and advertisements including impressions never fail to capture the attention of an audience. This is an easy way to make your product or service stand out from the pack.

Performers' Unions: Unions such as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Screen Artists Guild, in addition to advocating for the rights of their members and dealing with pay rate issues, provide voice actors and actresses valuable opportunities to grow and develop their skiills.

Actors: Voice over professionals are often individuals who were trained in drama and gravitated to the field of voice work because of their marketable skills and talents. A skilled voice actor or actress is a huge asset to any marketing project.

Whether you're working with actors, professional artists, or just sourcing for new talent, you'll need a process to find the right match for your project. Being comfortable with the terminology of the industry can help you work with professionals and find the right fit with ease.

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