Many activities require the use of a voiceover.
In this article we will see in which case you might need it, and we will also see how to be sure of your choice. Indeed, it is an essential element that you would be wrong to neglect. In addition, the choice is immense, so there is no shortage of opportunities to get the voiceover wrong.
So how do you find the voiceover that’s right for you? Let’s first see the situations in which you might need it.
When can a voiceover be used?
Advertising
You’ve probably noticed that commercials almost always have a voice-over. In addition to the actors present in the scene, sometimes silent, a voice-over bursts in and promotes the product touted by this ad. The goal is not to play a character, but rather to communicate a message to consumers.
Someone has to tell people that “this detergent washes whiter than white”.
Cartoons
Animation is probably the best known dub. From children’s shows to adult series, voice-over actors have long found work bringing animated characters to life on the small and big screen.
If you are considering such support for your marketing, you will necessarily need one or more voices.
Audiobooks
The popularity of audio books is growing every day, and although the author often reads his book himself, the medium has proven to offer hiring voice actors, for example to play different characters in a story, in order to make listening to an audiobook more dynamic. While this is true for all voiceovers, diction is key when it comes to audiobooks. A clear and concise reading will give the listener a much better experience.
If you have the talent to write an e-book, you may need to resort to another talent to turn it into an audio-book.
Video games
You have probably played many video games, and heard the taunts, the growls or even the insults of a character, or two characters interacting during an adventure game? Video games are a huge industry for voice work, and the medium spans countless genres.
If you are developing a video game, you will not cut it!
GPS, Virtual Assistants
“Alexa, what’s the weather tomorrow?” “, “Siri, set an alarm clock in 20 minutes”, “In 200m, turn right”: Virtual assistants and GPS have been talking to us for years and they will continue to do so.
If you release an application that is not very interactive, you will need a voiceover.
Corporate and educational videos
Whether it’s training materials, videos for human resources, or university courses and other tutorials, a voice is required and you yourself may not have the necessary talent, didactic tone and the impeccable diction that this exercise requires.
health and wellbeing
A growing field in the world of voiceover: videos, applications and recordings of exercises, meditation, etc.
Here again the voice is essential, you should not read too fast, too slowly, but just right. Hiring a professional is often the best way to achieve the desired result.
Documentaries
You’re shooting a documentary and need voice-overs to tell the story, move the story forward and keep listeners engaged. The narrator of a documentary sets the tone for the whole project, so finding the right voice for this is essential.
How to choose a voiceover?
The voice-over artist you choose will literally become the voice of your brand: while the “right” voice can create a strong and lasting emotional connection between your brand and your customer, the “wrong” one can alienate your potential customer and create negative emotions towards your product or service.
Below are some tips to help you select the perfect voiceover for your next video.
1. Ask for recommendations
It can be difficult to know where to start when choosing a voiceover artist. There is such a wide range of voiceovers that it can be difficult to choose among them, which is why it can be a good idea to use word of mouth. If you’re working with a video production agency, they should have a selection of voiceovers they’ve worked with in their contacts and could help you select a voiceover that meets your needs.
2. Male or female voiceover?
Many marketing experts believe that there are very good reasons to choose a female voice over a male voice, and vice versa. In general, the rule is that a male voiceover is best if the target is a man and a female voice is best if the primary client is a woman. Of course, you can question this assumption, but you must ask yourself the question of what genre your product or service will be assimilated to.
3. Review CVs
A good voice-over artist should be able to provide you with a range of examples of their previous work. Examine the type of work he has done and see if he speaks well to the target group of your own product or service.
4. Match the voice to the audience
With the exception of Morgan Freeman, there isn’t “THE” voice that will work with all types of videos, on all types of audiences. If you are creating a video for children, you can choose an expressive and energetic voice. If you are addressing an older audience, you will prefer a calm, deep and reassuring voice.
5. Test the voice on your target group
You may like the sound of a voiceover, but how do you know if your audience will? If your product’s target group is women between the ages of 35 and 55, you can voice test women who fit this description. The amount of testing depends on the range of the video: if the video only has a low range, for internal use for example, it may be enough to ask five people. If you are selecting a voiceover for a national, long-running campaign, you will need to perform much more rigorous testing.
6. Consider the tone
If you’re creating a video for an older audience, pitch can be extremely important: older people have a common condition called presbycusis, which prevents them from hearing high-pitched sounds. Therefore, if you’re marketing to an older audience, choose a voiceover with a lower pitch.
7. Think “longevity”
When choosing a voiceover, think beyond the current video and consider how it represents your brand in the long run. Consumers can develop a strong emotional attachment to a voice, and intrinsically connect it to a brand. The confidence that can develop if you’ve chosen the right voiceover is something you’ll want to retain. You need to make sure that the artist will be available in the future so that you can continue to use it. The right voiceover artist can make a real difference in a video. Take the time to think about what you want this voice to represent and carefully weigh your options.
Here are some sites specializing in voice:
1. Inter Voice Over
Created in 1988, Inter Voice Over claims to be the largest voice over agency in France, providing voice over recordings and translations in 115 languages.
If this is the first time you’ve booked a voice, Inter Voice Over knows its own well, and offers to give you advice and support you in finding the right voice-over for your project.
More than a simple “voice-over agency”, Inter Voice Over has its own professional audio studios in which the texts of their clients are recorded. As a result, the agency is able to ensure rapid delivery to its clients, and in the form they wish (for example in the form of separate sound tracks). Customers can, if they wish, attend the recording of their text.
2. Studios VOA
After more than 10 years of experience in voice-over and dubbing, Voix Off Agency has become “VOA Studios”, also offering a complete service for producing your voice-overs. In more than 60 languages, the agency is the voice of many TV and radio commercials, documentaries, audio descriptions, animated films, audio books…
The VOA Studios also offer you a “voice in hand” solution for the realization of your audio projects.
The agency has more than 1,500 voice-over actors in its portfolio, selected according to artistic and professional criteria by its casting team!
3 rooms
An advanced voice-over search engine, the site differs from the two previous ones by offering many demos to listen to, which I couldn’t find among its competitors. Of course Locali also has a choice of foreign languages, and voice profiles classified by category.
The little extra: on Locali you can use a free synthetic voice generator.
