- Few things will frustrate a production
more than someone who gives a really bad voice read.
So, with some of these tricks
let's give them a great line reading.
It's important to sound natural,
so let's take a look at some ways
to sound more natural with your reading.
One thing to try is just to make it sound
like you're talking to a friend,
not like you're reading a script.
So again, this helps the better you know your script,
maybe talk to someone on the other side
of the soundproof glass.
So, it does help to read through the script aloud
a number of times before a session.
Just be so familiar with those lines
that it comes out easily
and you're not struggling to keep up
and read word to word.
You should probably also practice reading
from the teleprompter.
You can find a number
of free teleprompter apps for tablets or iPhones.
You don't want your first time reading a teleprompter
to be in front of a client.
So, for instance I'm reading from a teleprompter right now.
And I read through this script a number of times
before I started doing this recording
and I know what I need to say
so I can say the lines without really looking
like I'm reading them.
(chuckles) It just takes practice.
Of course, even that chuckle was scripted.
Now, in a session, if you find a word
or a line difficult, you can always suggest
a word change.
I also suggest that you record yourself
and listen back to it so you can hear yourself.
Now, seasoned voice actors you don't need to do this
but as you're working your way up,
what you hear through the headphones
when you're actually recording
versus what you hear when you play it back
are often completely different things.
Nothing helps like actually practicing it
and hearing the result.
Now and then we all fall into a trap
of reading the same line over and over the same way,
so here's a few tips and tricks
on how to vary those readings of your lines.
Smiling during your reading
adds joy and it softens your voice.
It's amazing, just the action of smiling.
Physically acting out
affects your voice too
so you could jump around
and act out or emote really physically on something.
In fact, I ask my actors all the time to do that.
Warm water and honey smooths the vocal cords
and it can also remove some of the raspiness
in your voice
and especially if you've got a really long session going on,
having some warm honey and water
kind of helps your voice get through it.
Cold water, on the other hand,
ends up tightening your vocal cords.
It's really not good before
or during a session.
Whenever I have water, I've got some here next to me,
I always have it room temperature.
You could try either sitting or standing.
Believe it or not,
that will give you different energies when you read.
When you're standing you've got more energy,
when you're sitting you're much more relaxed.
You could try pulling your tongue
into the back of your mouth
or putting it in your cheek.
Try various sounds.
It'll give you amazing different voices.
Figure out the emphasis is on a line
'cause maybe you want to emphasize different words.
That'll instantly give you a different read every time.
You could also try thinking about some famous character,
real or animated or whatever.
You could try emulating them,
not necessarily doing an exact copy,
but use that as inspiration
to kind of be more playful with your read.
Don't be afraid to speak loudly.
A lot of people when they get started,
they're kind of talking into the mic
but you know, you can actually get out there
and project past that microphone
especially if you're announcing, that's great.
You can stretch out your neck
or you can compress your neck when you speak.
That affects your voice
and you tend to get into a different character
if you hold your body in a different way.
You could try to change the shape of your mouth
as you speak
or really have your mouth big and wide open.
You could try pushing the phonemes as you speak.
So, maybe if I want to be much more regal,
I will emphasize every syllable.
For each character or project,
once you get into a rhythm
it gets a lot easier to repeat the quality
the director is looking for.
Now, if you're recording a recurring voice,
possibly one from a different session,
you should always ask for one of the previous recordings
to be played back for you.
In fact, one of the tricks that I often do
and I've seen a lot of other actors do
is when you create a new character,
write down on your script notes on what you did.
Did you pull your chin towards your throat?
Did you think of a certain thing?
Give yourself little tricks
to try to remember how to get back into that voice.
For emotional scenes
you might want to try to think of something emotional
and let that affect your read.
Some people can jump into emotion
and just instantly act it out.
I have a hard time with that
unless it's anger.
I can tap anger no problem
but for sadness,
if I think about my mom,
I tend to get really emotional
and that helps me get across a different kind of read.
The best voice actors
tend to have really flexible voices
and they can really emote a lot of emotion
and the more you practice
just like for any sport,
the better you'll be at giving variations
in your voice sessions.