VOICE ACTING

Striving For The Perfect Voice Over

Take Will Drive You Nuts - Edit Instead

August 24, 2015



By Jim Conlan By Jim Conlan

Voice Talent, Coach & Producer



What do you mean by "Perfect?



Theres probably no group more devoted to perfection than artists  among whom I include voice talent. Were constantly wondering if we did our best.



In fact, back in the day it was an oft-heard comment that "I did my best take in the car going home.



But what is perfection to you?

Is it reading a script without a mistake?

Is it the mythical One Take?

Is it the painstaking process of recording take after take until everybody is deliriously happy? RECIPE FOR DISASTER

My opinion is: none of the above.



I have worked with a number of directors who really believe that if you record enough takes, eventually youll get it perfect. What a recipe for disaster! It hardly ever works, and it often drives the voice talent nuts.



More enlightened directors know that its the result youre after, not how you get there. And since these days youll probably be your own director, it has become easier to focus on the result.



RECORDED, NOT LIVE



After all, this is voice over. That means its recorded, not live; its audio, not video. So theres really no reason to get it all perfect in one magical take.



Lets say that after two or three takes you feel like you mostly got it. Maybe there were a couple of glitches - a line or two you didnt quite like, or it came in a bit long.



But that take had something special about it. At this point you dont really need to try for another take, hoping that the magic remains while you iron out the glitches.



LISTEN, THEN EDIT



Instead, I suggest you do two things.



First, listen to other takes to see if maybe the glitches in question didnt appear in them; if so, a little cutting and pasting might give you a complete, seamless take.



Second, if you dont find what you need, do pick-ups and paste them in place. If youre good at matching tone, pace, level, etc.  and if youre adept at seamless editing  you may end up with a "perfect read. Its something you, the narrator, created with you, the editor.



At that point, of course, how you define "perfect is between you and your client. But at least you didnt have to beat yourself senseless to get there.

------------------

ABOUT JIM

Jim Conlan is a voice actor and narrator with a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction titles available on Audible and in bookstores. Some of his favorites include Moby-Dick, Island Life, by William Meikle, and To Timbuktu for a Haircut, by Rick Antonson.



Email:

Web:



Email: provomaster@yahoo.com Web: www.provomaster.com Your Daily Resource For Voice-Over Success Follow News & Features