By Anike-ade Funke Treasure
Many artistes think a lovely, arresting, or alluring voice is all there is to a voice over. No. It is a performative task. You need to be able to actually use the voice to achieve the objectives of a voice over. Ability to capture the intended mood is vital. A unique voice is a given, yet not the ultimate. Delivery is king in the game.
These are my top three tips for aspiring voice actors. They may be presenters, voice over artistes for documentaries, commercials, events or even acting.
Voice over artistes are performers, not readers. It’s the first tip to note. When you perform the whole of your body is engaged. All of your senses. It is action packed. Therefore, when you get a script, talk it, perform it, act it. Don’t read it. Any Salewa, Ngozi and Musa can read a line. It’s the stuff of legends to be a Femi Sowoolu, a Patrick Oke or a Daphne Atere Roberts.
APC poor economic managers – Aguariavwodo
Voice over artistes are animators. That is the second tip. They animate the characters in the scripts, bring in nuances that are unforgettable and create hooks of a lifetime. Their unique non – verbal communication are ‘heard’ in the scripts, especially on radio.
Give your verbs value. Now this is a critical key for any delivery at all. It’s the third tip to note. Watch out for the action words, give them the right value. It’s a basic one that the potential buyer of a good or service engages with. A sneer is different from a sigh. How do you wrap surprise to a name and say same without surprise? Verbs are conveyors, vehicles to ride on, to deliver the winning punch for a memorable work.
I know I said three but this final one is quite important. Adjectives. Whether in indigenous languages or the English language, adjectives are the ‘how’ of a voice over. They move the listener to action. How you say ‘muyen-muyen’, for instance, would be a determiner.
Back in in the days, as a programme head, I asked my presenters how do you say, “welcome to another exciting time with me”, in such a bland way? Where is the excitement? For radio, a blind medium, the entire performance is in your voice, the ultimate magnet. It determines whether the listener is buying into your product, programme, session or services.
#voiceovertalent #radiowork #voiceovertraining #radio #presentation #presenters
