Everyone has heard a voiceover at one point or another. From the voice of Mickey Mouse to the voice that sells shampoo or insurance on the radio, voiceovers provide an effective way to evoke emotions or convey important information to an audience. In fact, without the voice-over, the media would not have the same impact and the entertainment industry would be at a great loss. The importance of voice over can be seen every day in a variety of techniques.
What is VoiceOver?
VoiceOver is a production technique in which a voice that is not part of the production is used to speak a particular part. Voice-overs are common on radio, television, film, and even theater. Voice actors are often hired specifically to do voice-overs and have no other role in the production.
Techniques
Character voices
One of the most popular uses of voice over is to give an animated character a voice or personality. Think of Shrek or any other popular Disney movie. Each character is actually someone behind the scenes with a microphone that brings the voice to life. As animated films are gaining popularity, well-known celebrities are looking to dubbing roles, hoping to add a bit of variety to their acting portfolio.
Movie narration
Another popular use of voice over is to provide narration to a movie. This type of voice-over is so common in movies that you probably don’t even realize it’s happening. Typically, the narrator of a movie has intimate details about the characters on screen and provides information to the audience about their thoughts or emotions. In this sense, the voice-over is a fundamental part of many films and is necessary to keep the audience informed. Blockbuster movies like Fight club and Shawshank redemption use voice over to provide context.
Non-fiction TV and news reports
Voice-over is often used to report the news. In fact, most television news broadcasts use both voice-over and live presenters to report previously recorded news or pre-edited segments. Other non-fiction television that relies on voice-over includes media such as the History Channel or the Discovery Channel. Particularly when the focus is educational, the voiceover provides a guide for viewers to understand what they are seeing. Additionally, game shows have been using voice over for decades to announce contestants and awards. Most everyone is familiar with the popular voice-over from the 1970s that exclaimed “come on, you’re the next Price is Right contestant!”
Commercial
Advertising is another very common use of voice over. In fact, the radio is completely dubbed and actors are never seen. In fact, voice-over is so useful for radio advertising that certain product manufacturers have signed long-term contracts with voice-over actors to “brand” their products. When consumers hear the same familiar voice that represents a product, it builds instant trust and credibility. Even on television, where actors can be seen, a product is more likely to be presented with a voiceover than an actor. Also, a strong voiceover highlights the sale rather than the actor seen with the product.
Voice-over is an important part of our film and television experience. In many cases, the voiceover represents more than just information, it has become part of a product, building trust and credibility with consumers.