Understanding Voice Over Jargon

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.

Those who are considering using voice actors in their marketing projects would do well to learn a few key terms and definitions that are commonly used to talk about the voice over field.

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: To complete any voice work, you will need a studio in which it can be recorded. While you always have the option of renting a studio for a project, you should always ask voice talent if they have the equipment to record at home, as this will save you the cost of studio time.

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 not recorded for the express purpose of sales, but accompany some sort of video recording, complementing the story told by the on-screen action. You should not, however, discount their worth in marketing projects, as they can complement video advertisements exceedingly well.

Impressions: These are the types of voice overs that impersonate a famous person, celebrity, or imitate an historically famous personality. Impressions are a great way to make your message stand apart from the competition, and you can find many royalty-free scripts with this distinguishing feature in mind.

Performers’ Unions: Voice actors and actresses are often part of these professional organizations, which assist them in developing their craft and negotiate market rates. The Screen Artists Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) are the unions you will most frequently encounter in working with voice talent.

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.

Familiarity with these key concepts and the associated terminology will help you immensely in your dealing with professionals in the voice over business. If you approach interviewing talent from an organized, educated perspective, you are sure to find a voice over professional who will boost the appeal of your advertising campaign.

About the Author: Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, MN and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.