Did You Hear THAT?

As a parent of 3 amazing kids and a grandparent now several times over, I have been privileged to hear the very first cries of my offspring uttered as they entered this world. If you’ve been there, you know these are the sounds that can make a grown man’s lips quiver and find themselves experiencing an uncontrollable case of “leaking eyes”!

Or, maybe it’s the roar of the unbridled power of an F-35 Lightning fighter jet screaming overhead, afterburners in full glow. Simply an overwhelming sensory experience for most.

Some of the most stirring sounds we recall are of the very last words spoken in frail, broken, slurred but poignant speech of a loved-one slipping away from us, often weighty and even spiritual, underscoring a lifetime of relationship.

You might take a moment or two to consider the top 3 sounds that have moved you in your lifetime like no other. Connecting our emotions to significant audibly-experienced occasions can be a great exercise, enhancing our awareness of the connection between the ear and the heart. Turns out… it’s a very short trip between these two organs!

The audible sound carries a power that cannot be substituted by any other sense, and bears the weight of responsibility and the privilege of evoking every emotion humankind can experience. As creatives in the digital space, sound must not be an afterthought in the production process, but an equally coexistent element of the storyboard stages of every project.

As the producer considers the various elements of sound within their project, it might be divided into three categories: Music, sound effects, and VoiceOver / narration. Each of these three tools, not unlike every visual element within the project as well, carries the responsibility to coexist and compliment one-another in a harmonious multi-sensory strategic symphony. Furthermore, and maybe of even greater consideration is to ensure that each of these elements serve as tools to TELL the story, without BECOMING the story.

Let’s unpack some of these thoughts for real-life production application, shall we?

MUSIC

What a gift music is to humanity! Very few things can transport our minds, our hearts and our emotions as quickly as the power of music. The selection of the musical bed within video production can establish the plum line of every other element in the piece. That said, if you find that the musical considerations for your project often become the “final icing on the cake”, you might consider flipping the script and begin the storyboarding process by establishing your musical choices early on. Have you ever wrapped up a project, only to find that you (or worse, your client) just don’t emotionally connect with the piece? Don’t underestimate the potential that a strategically selected musical bed can play in pulling at the heart strings of the viewer, and fully immersing them into your story. Not to mention providing an emotional template for the tone and pacing of every other element within the project to align with, whether visual or sound.

SOUND EFFECTS

Another potent audio element within your project is sound effects. Just as powerfully as the musical element can connect our emotions with the project, carefully selected and strategically applied sound effects can serve as the vehicle that can transport us into the reality of the environment represented in the visuals on the screen. Whether it’s the sound of waves crashing on a rocky beach, birds chirping in a desolate forest, the subtle sound of mass humanity on an urban sidewalk, or the metallic clanking of heavy machinery in a high-tech factory, sound effects make the magic happen, transforming us from viewers watching on a remote screen to participants transported into the story and its very environment.

Not unlike other production elements, the margin of error between sound effects helping TELL the story and BECOMING the story can be quite thin. If an objective viewer / listener is drawn to any individual element within the story, whether it be audible or visual, their attention can be isolated to that specific element, the story hijacked, and the macro-objective of the project lost. And the improper use of sound effects are often the most vulnerable element guilty of stealing the show. When it comes to sound effects… proceed! But proceed with caution!

VOICEOVER / NARRATION

As a full-time VoiceOver talent myself, this element is especially near and dear to my heart. When it comes to the narration of our projects, we need to understand that as content creators we are not just striving for a call to action by the viewer as a result of our 30-second commercial or 10-minute corporate piece. At the higher level, we are competing for the attention of an audience that is over-saturated with content each and every day. A recent survey indicated that the average American listens to 4 hours and 11 minutes of audio content daily! And about 25% of that time is commercial advertising. Every element, your narration not withstanding, must be strategic, authentic and compelling.

What makes a great VoiceOver… a GREAT VoiceOver? What objectives should a producer consider when incorporating VoiceOver into their project?

AUTHENTICITY

Within the world of voiceovers, authenticity can often be translated to mean the good ole’ “conversational read”. And it can! But at a higher altitude, authenticity begs the question, “is this narration, from the scriptwriting, to the pacing, to the tone and emphasis of phrasing the most effective use of vowels, consonants, syllables and yes, silence to tell my story?” So, authenticity in VoiceOver could be a quiet, conversational, natural and “less than perfect” read. Or, it could be the biggest, baddest movie trailer-esque read, with the utmost attention to pronunciation, down to every letter in the script. Your job as the producer is to determine what “authenticity” sounds like for this specific project, in alignment with every other audible and visual element. And when that happens… it’s beauty!

THE SCRIPT

One of the greatest obstacles to great narration isn’t always the narrator themselves. Even the best voice talents of our time can only move the listener so far with a poorly written script. Without diving deeply into the weeds of scriptwriting, let’s just say that a number of factors can contribute to a poorly written script. This could be poor grammar, non-compelling or non-engaging text, and a not clear or stated call to action.

One of the most common mistakes in scriptwriting is the number of words within the project. When it comes to your scripts, quantity does not always equate to quality! Maybe the verbal firehose assault by your narrator is a strategic choice for your project. And sometimes that works! But a good exercise in the scriptwriting process could be asking yourself (or your client), “how can I say the same thing in fewer words, and achieve an even greater outcome?” By the way, as a rule of thumb, the average number of words per minute for a typical VoiceOver is about 150, with a maximum of 180. But remember, for the sake of effectiveness, less is often more!

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN

A wise king once said, “there is nothing new under the sun”. The pressure to produce something that’s never been done before, that’s unique and stands apart is an honorable objective worth striving for. But let’s face it; often the weight of that mandate can produce “analysis paralysis”, and we’re stuck in the mud. When it comes to scriptwriting, or any other creative element within your project for that matter, don’t be afraid to study the marketplace of creative media. Certainly not with the intent of duplicating someone else’s creativity. But look at it as a potential “jump-start” to your own creative process.

GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE

After you have prepared your script, you’re ready to search for just the right voice talent to deliver their very best “James Earl Jones” for your project. And your voice talent wants to deliver! Here are a few tips in working with your narrator to get you on the same page quickly, and with a finished product that exceeds your expectations:

• There are many great voice talents to choose from. But fewer that are just the right fit for your specific project. Be sure to listen to their demos, and try to find a specific example that you can reference to your voice talent that will let them know what you’re looking for.

• Share with them an example from another ad or project on YouTube that will give them solid direction in tone, pacing, styling, etc.

• If you have already produced your video, or even just have the musical bed that will be used in the project, this is immensely helpful to your voice talent in nailing the tone and pacing you are looking for!

• Consider a live directed session, either from zoom or Source Connect, where you can direct your talent in realtime to insure you are getting exactly what you’re looking for… the first time!

• Many creatives work largely in isolation. Even the most introverted creative (like myself) is interested in building relationships and trust with others in this space. Invest a few minutes in getting to know your voice talent, and you will be glad you did! It can put them at ease in the delivery of your read, as well as become a longterm relationship that will be mutually beneficial.

Chip Loop is full-time voice actor, providing VoiceOver services for commercial, e-learning, documentary, and animation projects. You can hear some of his work at www.chiploopvoice.com, or email him at chip@chiploopvoice.com.