5 Ways To Optimize Your Voiceover Scripts And Save Money. So… you’ve chosen the voice over artist, agreed a fee, you’ve sent them the script which they’ve recorded and sent back. You listen to it… it sounds OK, but it’s not quite right. The recording quality is fine and the voice artist has done what you asked of them. So why doesn’t it sound the way you had hoped? You play it to friends and colleagues, discuss it with the voice artist. You tinker with the script, make a few improvements and send it back to be re-recorded… and you have to pay again. To avoid racking up more fees, here are a few simple steps to take before you send the script out to the voice artist, to ensure that what they deliver is exactly what you want: 1. Read It Out Loud A simple idea, but often overlooked... Just because something looks good on a page or sounds great in your head, doesn’t mean it'll work read aloud. A professional voice artist should be able to read any script smoothly and convincingly, but there are some words and sounds when put together that sound clunky or unnatural. Too many words with the letter “s” can sound hissy for example. By reading your script aloud before committing it to a voiceover, you should be able to discover any problems yourself, and repair them without having incurred any re-recording costs. 2. Direct Correct Think about the end result and how you want the overall piece to sound, then make a note of the style, pace and mood. If you want it read in a certain way – with loads of energy perhaps, or maybe to sound calm and authoritative – include this with the text. Be aware however that the words in the script should match the directions you give. A common mistake is to give directions like “natural” or “conversational” when the text is full of exclamation marks and phrases like “hurry while stocks last!” This will be confusing and if your directions are followed the end result will sound odd. There may be a particular word or product that you want the voice artist to emphasise, in which case mark it. Be selective about how many emphases you choose though - a piece where every other word is emphasised means that none of the words will stand out. 3. Give Pronunciations Even if the pronunciations are obvious to you, it's best to write or record any names, initials or technical terms that appear in your script. The voice artist may be familiar with them, but if not all they can do is guess. And if they guess wrong they'll need to re-record, and their time costs you money... If you are able to record yourself pronouncing the words, then sending as an mp3 file is especially helpful. If not, spell pronunciations phonetically in the directions, and preferably put the syllable you want emphasised in capital letters or underlined. For example, the word “SEV-en-oaks” which might otherwise be read as “seven-OAKS” Or of course, you can speak to the artist direct. Note – with phone numbers it's better to write the numbers as digits on the script rather than spelling them out. A professional voice artist will automatically know the most user-friendly way to read it, but if you have a particular preference, include it as part of the directions. 4. Less Is More A cliché, but it's particularly appropriate in voice scripts, especially if there's a time limit - if the audio has to fit a TV picture for example. Read through your script to see if you can tighten it up by losing any unnecessary wording - it may give the voice artist an extra second or two for their read. And the more time a voice artist has, the more choices they can make and the better performance they can give. Don’t go to extremes obviously - stretching 20 seconds of audio over a one minute slot may sound laboured - but as a rule it's better for a voice artist to have slightly too much time than not enough. 5. Send Send Send. If you've done any similar recordings, or if there's a particular style of delivery you like from someone else’s project, send it over to the voiceover artist for reference. It gives them a clearer idea of what you're aiming for, and is a great addition to any written description. If the audio has to fit to picture and the film is available, send that over – also if you've chosen some music to go behind the read, that's also a useful reference for the artist and gives them a feel for the kind of energy and pace the script requires. And that’s about it – all very simple really: as with most things in life, getting the best out of your voice over artist involves just a little bit of preparation but can save you a lot of time and money. © Laura Shavin, 2006 Laura Shavin, a freelance voice-over artist, is heard on radio and TV stations, corporate presentations, web sites, computer games and phone systems in countries all over the world. To read more on the subject or to send an email regarding this article, please visit www.fvo1.com . You are welcome to publish this article electronically or in print, provided it is published in its entirety, up to and including the active link above. Thank you. close window