Why is a proper briefing important?
Once you have picked a voice over, you of course want to have them get the recording right on the first take. It gives you the quickest result with the least amount of effort. The voice over wants the same, they too like to record exactly the way you want on the first try. The better your briefing is, the better your chances are of making that happen.
That’s why we do everything we can to prevent a retake. Besides indicating the target group, our platform offers various options for a proper briefing. This will help you to cut the number of retakes in half!
Option 1: Record an example yourself
In your project, you can record yourself saying a word or phrase that is difficult to pronounce. We call this an audio guide. The recording is easily added to your project, allowing the voice over to hear exactly how to pronounce that specific word or phrase.
If you wish, you can even record and upload the entire script. An elaborate audio guide like that is also called a dummy voice over or a guide voice over. A dummy voice over helps the voice actor to not only know the pronunciation of difficult words or phrases, but also the right tempo and tone of voice.
Option 2: Use the tone-of-voice selector
The tone of voice can also be indicated using the tone-of-voice selector. Under ‘How should it sound?’ you can find different clips of scripts the voice over of your choice has recorded previously. You can select a clip with the tone of voice you wish to use for your project. The voice over now knows what the tone of voice is you are looking for: neutral, recruiting, corporate, storytelling, etc.
Option 3: Show your video
Do you already have a (working) version of your video? Show it to the voice over you have picked. You can add a link to Vimeo, YouTube, WeTransfer or Dropbox. Allowing the voice over to see the video gives them a better feel for the atmosphere, style and tempo of the script and helps them to record the best version.
Option 4: Give directions
Finally, you can use the field ‘Instructions for the voice over’ to give extra direction.
Tip
You have probably already caught onto this, but just to be sure: the more of these options you use, the higher the chances are of the voice over recording your script exactly right on the first take!