What do I need to prepare, and what do I need to discuss with the voice actor?
So you've selected a voice actor, and you're ready to get started recording your project!!!
Here's what you need to do before the voice actor can start recording.
Prepare a Script
A script consists of the text that the voice actor will record.
For information on how to prepare a voiceover script that both guides and assists the voice actor in recording your project the way you want, see How Do I Prepare A Voiceover Script?. For additional sample scripts, see Sample Scripts.
Note that you must deliver a finalized version of your script to the voice actor. Script changes after recording has started will likely incur recut fees. For information on recuts, see How Do I Choose a Voice Actor for My Project?.
Decide What Your Project’s Artistic Requirements Are
It is important to decide what your project requirements are and to convey this information to the voice actor before recording starts:
- The style of delivery (tone of voice)
Listen to the voice demos on the voice actor’s website, and decide which one demonstrates the tone of voice you want. For example, a corporate video can be formal and friendly, formal and aloof, or formal and sales-like. The style depends not only on the project’s genre, but on the image you want to project and the audience.
- The pace
Should the script be read quickly? Slowly? What pace suits your project?
Decide What Your Project’s Technical Requirements Are
You will need to discuss the following issues with the voice actor:
- Format
You will need to decide on the file format. WAV is good quality but quite large when it comes to file size. MP3 provides slightly less quality, but the difference between WAV and MP3 is not really noticeable to the human ear, plus the file size of MP3 is much smaller (usually 1 minute = 1 MB).
- The number of audio files
You might need the script recorded as a single audio file or as multiple audio files.
- Editing
Will you need the voice actor to remove breaths and background noise, or do you have someone who will do this work? (Usually the voice actor does this work, but some clients prefer to do it themselves.)
- Timing
Regardless of whether the video will be created before the voiceover, or the voiceover will be recorded before the video, you need to let the voice actor know some information about the necessary timing of the voiceover. How long will the video be? How much of it will be voiceover? If the video is ready, how long should each scene be? For further details, see What Should Be Prepared First: The Video or the Voiceover?.
Article by Victoria Feinerman
