One of the objectives of voice acting is to lead the listener to action. The most effective way to do that is to create believability through a suspension
of disbelief. You suspend disbelief whenever you allow yourself to be drawn
into a story while watching a movie or play or read a book. You are fully aware that what is taking place in the story really isn’t real. However, as you experience it, you suspend your disbelief and momentarily accept the appearance of the reality of what is happening in the story.
Suspension of disbelief in voiceover is essential for creating a sense of believability in the message. The audience must believe you, and for that to happen, you must, at least momentarily, believe in what you are saying.
Use your imagination to create a believable visual image in your mind for the message you are delivering. The more visual you can make it, the more believable it will be for you and for your audience. On a subconscious level, your mind does not know the difference between illusion and reality. Just as your physical attitude affects the sound of your voice, if you create a strong enough visual illusion in your mind, your words will be believable.
Creating a visual illusion is a technique used by most great actors and virtually all magicians. For a magician to make the audience believe that a person is really floating in the air, he must momentarily believe it himself. The performer’s belief in what is taking place contributes to establishing the suspension of disbelief in the audience. If the magician is focused on the mechanics of his illusion, he will not give a convincing performance.
If you are focused on the technical aspects of your performance you cannot possibly be believable. The technical aspects and techniques of your voiceover work must become completely automatic to the point where you are not even aware of them. The words on that script in front of you must come from within you—from the character you create. Only then will you be able to successfully suspend disbelief. This is what’s meant by the phrases “making the words your own” and “getting off the page.”
Visual imagery is a powerful technique for creating believability when delivering any type of copy. Read your script a few times to get an understanding of what you are saying. Then, set your visual image and let your character come in and be the storyteller, the expert, the spokesperson, the salesperson, the eccentric neighbor, the inquisitive customer, the kooky boss, and so on. By allowing your character to take over, you automatically shift your focus from the technical aspects of reading the copy to the creative aspects of performing and telling the story.
A visual image helps give life to your character, reason for its existence, an environment for it to live in, and motivation for its words. Visualization helps make your character believable to you. If the character is believable to you, its words become true, and the message becomes believable to the audience. To put it another way: If you believe it, your audience will.
Trends
A considerable amount of voiceover work is in the form of advertising as radio and television commercials. The advertising industry is generally in a constant state of flux simply because its job is to reach today’s customers in a way that will motivate them to buy the current “hot item.” In order to do that, advertisers must connect on an emotional level with their audience. And, in order to do that, the delivery of a commercial must be in alignment with the attitude and behavior of the target audience. Each generation seems to have a unique lifestyle, physical attitude, slang, and style of dress. These constantly shifting trends are reflected in the advertising on radio and TV. In other words, what is “in style” today may be “out of style” tomorrow.
As a voice actor, it is important that you keep up with the current trends and develop flexibility and versatility in your performing style. You may develop a performing style that is perfect for a certain attitude or market niche, but if you don’t adapt to changing trends you may discover that your style is no longer in demand. During the mid 1990s, the Carl’s Jr. restaurant chain ran an advertising campaign that featured a very droll, flat, almost monotone voiceover with a very definite lackadaisical, yet sardonic attitude. The key phrase of the campaign was “If it doesn’t get all over the place, it doesn’t belong in your face.” The delivery style became a trend. Suddenly there were commercials everywhere that had a similar delivery style. The trend lasted for a few years, during which a handful of voice talent who could effectively perform in that style did quite well, financially. But when the trend had run its course, that flat, monotone delivery style vanished from the advertising scene almost overnight. Those voice actors who were at the top of their game during those few short years found it necessary to adapt and follow the current trends if they were to continue to be successful in their voiceover careers.
Probably the best way to keep pace with current trends is to simply study radio and television advertising that is on the air today. Listen to what the major national advertising producers are doing in terms of delivery attitude, pace, and rhythm. Observe the energy of the music and how the visuals are edited in television commercials and notice how the voiceover works with or against that energy. Look for commonalities among the commercials you study, and you will begin to notice the current trends.
One thing you will notice is that most locally produced advertising does not follow national advertising, or at best, is several months behind.
You don’t really need to do anything about these trends, other than to be aware of what they are and how they might affect your performance. That awareness will prove to be another valuable tool for you to use when you audition or are booked for a session. Use it to your advantage.
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