 All right, let's click record and we're live Hi, my name is Kwame. I'm a documentary filmmaker and a voice of our artist based in Akragana and Before I even get into today's video, please please Forgive me for the noise that you might be hearing in the background Unfortunately for me my studio is situated in the part of the house where the window is right across the main street first of all and Across from that is also a welding shop a metal Stingy shop, so I can't stop them from working and I need to record this video I need to share this information so that we can all learn much more about voiceovers So in today's video, we're going to talk about how to improve your reading of any voice Overscript and I'm not going to say I'm an expert And this video is not going to be very technical like I said in the previous video. I did about voiceovers However, I've done this for about eight years or a bit more than that And so I have come to learn or I've come to pick up a few Elements about scripts and how to read them and that is what I want to share with you today On this video. So let's get to it. But before we get into that one I also get asked a lot of times this particular question. How do I get to sound like you? And most often they mean the voice tone and they ask if I did something to my voice or I practice or I did some kind of voice training to get To sound like this and the answer is no My voice sounds like this Because that's what Puberty brought. I don't know so in terms of sounding like a certain way you don't have to make it your prime focus when you want to start Voiceovers, it's it's an advantage that you might sound a certain way Sometimes it also is a disadvantage because it's not all voiceover scripts that you can do but In reading a voiceover script, what you should be concentrating on is the technique Knowing the principles knowing a few things that like i'm going to share today that help Make you much more engaging. It helps you Get into character when you don't have a lot of direction from your client And all these things that you need to note about scripts in general and how to read them And make it easier because it's a skill. It's like learning how to drive It's like learning how to play the piano. It's like learning how to play or Practice a certain talent. You may have something small there, but you need to polish it and Polishing it means there are few rules that you need to remember and follow A few tips here and there that make it easier to understand or grasp the concept Of recording voiceovers like this. So yes, let's get to it I'm going to in the course of the video or when I finish explaining these key elements to you I'm going to demonstrate how they work as well for you to see What I mean by knowing these key elements of a script and how to tackle them So if you're familiar with the concept of writing Which voiceover scripts usually are you're going to be presented with a lot or a variety of voiceover scripts Unless you're known specifically for some kind of voiceovers or a particular genre of voiceovers You do maybe only audiobooks. Maybe you do only movie trailers. Maybe you do only commercial voiceovers You don't do any explainer videos. No documentary narrations. If that's your thing, that's fine However, even that All these principles apply to some extent. So that is what you need to know Before you commit to reading any voiceover script. So if you are if you're familiar with writing You know a script has a beginning. It has a middle and an end It's basic a beginning a middle and an end and usually with voiceover script Usually with voiceover scripts. Your beginning is where You either capture the attention of your listening audience Or not So it's a very very important part of a voiceover script And you find in maybe commercial voiceovers that it might start with an exclamation or an excitement or something that Will grab your attention or a statement or a phrase that will grab your attention before The rest follows. So if it's an exclamation, you can have something like it's amazing You know or it can be a question. Are you having Trouble doing this if it's something that you can relate to Then it piques your interest to want to listen further because it's something that might solve your problem or My bring you some kind of entertainment or my past information that you need to hear So that's the beginning That is a beginning usually of a voiceover script. That is where you need to capture the attention of your listener now the middle part of voiceover script usually Contain all the emotions the things that get you to relate to what the person is saying And how it makes you feel That's where the bulk of let's say the concept of the the voiceover script is Where the emotions are Where you can easily relate where it gets you also thinking And then finally the last part of the voiceover script is usually where there's a call to action It can be a literal call to action or sometimes it piques your interest or makes you curious enough To want to do that call to action by yourself. So there's not one formula and this video is not How to script or how to break down or it is how to break down a script, but it's not how to mark a script So there's no formula or Way that a script might be written It can be done. Anyway, it's a creative writing or creative copywriting. So if you know what your client wants Then you know what to do or how to communicate that with the listening audience So the beginning like I said Capture the attention in the first five seconds or three seconds It depends on what phrase it is that they use to punch Just capture the attention in the middle is where the emotions are And then in the end is where they get you to act upon whatever they want you to act upon And script contains words and these words have been carefully chosen To make or they've been strung together to make this script what it is That is one thing you need to also remember They have been carefully chosen and words Inside the script are most likely going to be very descriptive Apologies again for the noise outside Let's go on so most of the words they are also going to be descriptive Which means that you need to give life to those words Per their meanings. So they are adjectives. So if it's something that is cool It's something that is soft. It's something that is Um hot or scorching you need to give The emotion in the tone of your voice to that particular word it helps to Carry that emotion to the person who is listening to it because most voiceovers Depending on how they're used might end up in audio format might Even if it doesn't end up in audio format and they are accompanying pictures They still need to carry those emotions And those emotions cannot be flat. You cannot have a neutral tone Of how you are mentioning every single word you're seeing on the script and those things really matter So carry those emotions pair the words that you're seeing in there So if you're seeing an exciting thing in there something that brings a smile to your face As a person If that's what you want your audience to feel or that's what your clients want the audience to feel You should smile when you get there. You should Laugh or chuckle when you get to a certain place that requires that emotion to be Evoked or communicated you should be angry if that's what the thing is supposed to communicate it should be curious it should Sound intrigued if all those things are necessary to carry the script where it needs to go and you need to note them Well, yeah, you need to consciously note them and it will happen over time. It doesn't happen immediately. You start Your voice over career or whatever you learn over time to see these words for what they are and Commit that okay, if I see Freeze in cold, I know how to make people feel like it's cold if I see scouting hot I know how to make them feel like that should could that thing could I can't believe I said that that thing could burn. So that's what I'm trying to say and It also requires you to get into character Because you're professional you're being hired to bring this particular script to life It's not the same as talking although Some scripts require you to be as natural as when you will be talking. However, there's still some tips and tricks some Principles like, you know having the right inflections for these words to make sure that they sound different than the average person would speak Which makes it much more Engaging that is some of the though these are some of the things that you need to remember When you pick up a voice over script and it's most likely going to apply to almost all voice over scripts which we're going to see in The demonstration that I'm going to do right after this particular intro So getting into character is also very very essential. For example, I was watching this movie or I was watching this series on Netflix and The narrator of I'm going to mention the name is sweet tooth and the narrator of that series narrates this or narrates the story like A very observant neighbor who's sitting on a front porch Uh narrating the lives of his neighbors. It's very laid back. It's very natural. It's It's emotive it evokes certain emotions as and when they should But it's also very calming as well Like somebody who's telling you a story and it makes you want to see how His narration affects the characters. So these are some of the examples or some of the ways that voiceovers can be brought to life if you know these key principles that for example or not for example That it starts with something that captures your attention in the middle is where you keep the emotions you sustain Your audience's attention and in the end is how you land it So it's an arc But you still need to sustain all these things by knowing some of these principles So it's I think it's better to actually Demonstrate how this goes so that you can see how it works in different voice over scripts and I'm going to be taking my voice over script from edge studio dot com I'm going to copy a few samples from there and I'm going to try as much as possible to highlight some of these things that I'm talking about so that you can get a better understanding of these techniques when you pick up a voice over script or when you're presented a voice over script So let's get to it. So yes, my first script is a commercial script which Starts with It's amazing I'm first going to read it through and I'm going to show you which elements or why the elements work and things that you should note So it's amazing. I never thought one cereal would make my whole family stay for breakfast And in a brand is mentioned honey bunches of oats There's never been a cereal like it With big corn flakes and crunchy bunches of oats. Finally The cereal my whole family loves so you can see that it has a beginning of course a middle part and finally an end It has a beginning a middle part and an end Now this one doesn't necessarily say you should buy Honey bunches of oats, but it's talks at the emotions of having Your whole family present for breakfast being the selling point if that's something that's Important to you You might want for I mean you might want to go and buy honey bunches of oats because it's that good That your whole family is going to love it and want to stay for breakfast So that is the emotion it communicates and that is the selling point of this particular Script it's a short one. It's amazing That is much more like, you know, how You are you capture the attention of The people who might be listening and there are several ways that can be done. It can be it's it's amazing Or it's amazing But however you choose to do it you have to make sure that your first phrase Captures the attention of the people listening to you. So what is amazing? How do you just start like it's amazing It makes them curious. What's amazing? Tell us more so That is essential and amazing is supposed to sound amazing First of all, it has an exclamation mark on it. And so you need to have that At the back of your mind that it's amazing Or it's amazing Know that so depending on the direction that you're going to get from Your client or the read that they need it might either be a soft It's amazing. You can still have it's an amazing which is still soft and still sound amazing. It's amazing I never thought one cereal would make my whole family stay for breakfast Or it's amazing I never thought once like you can have that as well because it's a commercial and depending on what your clients want to communicate You need to find out but knowing that it's amazing needs to sound amazing is important And here you're communicating the emotions in the middle part your communication that communicating the emotions They need to make that decision to want to buy honey bunches of oats I never thought one cereal one Cereal or cereal brand would make my whole family stay for breakfast It means there's something that they don't often do And what cereal is that honey bunches of oats? In my previous video, I talked about how you should mention the brand name properly Because it's what the people need to remember at the end of the day Is what it's being sold honey bunches of oats And now there's never been a cereal like it This is a never situation So you have to make it sound like one of a kind there's never been a cereal like it ever So they need to feel that in your tone of voice and how you deliver as well You can't say there's never been a cereal like it Yeah, you don't even believe in it when you say it like that. So there's never been a cereal like it ever. This is this is amazing It's surreal That is what you need to communicate to the people In my opinion So with big conflicts and crunchy bunches of oats are giving you variety With big conflicts and crunchy bunches of oats Finally a cereal my whole family loves. So you do that soft landing For them to know that I need to get me some of that honey bunches of oats for my family as well So that is the first example of breaking down a voiceover script But you could have a different direction and they could be different takes That's the beauty of voiceovers that the direction can change you can have the same thing Said in so many different ways that can change how It will evoke certain emotions in different people listening. So yeah That is the first one and the second one is starting with a question This is more of You know a need. Is this something that is bothering you? So it's a problem solver The first one is also a problem solver, but this one is a different approach for the problem solving So are you having muscle aches? So they're actually the first question muscle aches Does it click that you have muscle aches? So you can't shout at this one It's not an amazing thing. It's not a beautiful feeling to be having muscle aches So remember that it's not the same emotion that is being communicated. This one is muscle aches Nothing is proven more effective or long longer lasting than Advil For long lasting relief of muscle aches count on Advil. So Some of these words might not necessarily be adjectives, but they need to be resounded Count on Advil. It's a call to action inside The script or in the middle of the script count is it's you need to count on Advil Why so the question is why then I answered the reason why you should count on Advil In a recent clinical study Advil was found to work better than any other or better than Tylenol Or yeah, it's better than Tylenol or any other Better than Tylenol in relieving the pain of sore muscles the day after exercise So this is a very specific thing for people experiencing muscle ache And if you're somebody who works out a lot and you're going through all that pain They're trying to tell you that Advil Has been proven clinically To work better than Tylenol in relieving pain right after or the day after exercise So it's no wonder that doctors. So this is much more, you know reaffirming why you need Advil Because it is finally advanced medicine for pain. So by the time you finish listening to this particular Ad you know your problem will be solved with Advil So muscle aches nothing is proven more effective or longer lasting than Advil because you need that to also sustain you and relief your pain For long lasting relief of muscle aches count on Advil It's what you need to do count on Advil In a recent clinical study Advil was found to work better than Tylenol in relieving the pain of sore Muscles the day after exercise no wonder No wonder doctors recommend Advil for muscle aches more than any other non-prescription brand Advil advanced medicine for pain So this are some of the things you need to realize that Is uh, there's a call to action over here as in count on Advil Why should you count on Advil? This is why you should count on Advil and reaffirming that even doctors say you should count on Advil So Advil is your advanced medicine for pain because it's long lasting and if you have a muscle aches you need Advil So this is a good script and it's a good script that can be brought to Even better life if you know how to read your voice over a script Now this is an explainer video speaking of getting into character This is an explainer video. This sounds more like this is in character more like somebody who um Can relate to your pain Or it's a professional or it's even somebody who does this same exercise as well And it's trying to convince you that bro Advil is what I take so getting into character is also very essential when you are reading a voice over script getting into character here is more centered around trying to Be the convincing person or voice To something that a lot of people make mistakes with So You must be calm. You must be engaging. You must be approachable in your tone You know, you must not be condescending unless There's a part of the script that you know Requires you to be which Also would trigger those emotions in the person who may have made that mistake That is trying to be Corrected in that so the question is would you like to buy a house? Is it something for you? Is it is it something you want to do? Would you like to buy a house? That's a question If the person doesn't sound as enthusiastic in that question, you might lose interest in what the person has to say next Would you like would you like to buy a house? Would you like to buy a house? No Would you like to buy a house? If it's something you've thought about you're gonna be like, yeah, it sounds like the person is actually talking to you Maybe it's your first house. This is where the emotions are being picked up Maybe it's your first house or even your second and you just think that maybe That is why it's been stressed here maybe You didn't think hard enough about the last one Is that you does it ring a bell? Maybe it's your first house or even your second and you just think that maybe You didn't think hard enough about the last one Listen, I love real estate So this is my this turns from Being curious and trying to pique your interest to now conversation Listen, let me tell you something or let me talk to you. I love real estate Me the person recording this ad or talking to you right now And in most cases even a bad deal can work to your advantage in a very long run. So Knowing that first of all your voice over Recording doesn't always have to be a certain way because it's not one size. So not one style fits all It's essential in reading. So What is it that they want from you and if you put yourself in a listener's position, how would you Be convinced to act on what is being Read to you or what you're hearing? So these are some of the things that you should note and the final one was One which is different. I used it in my previous video as my Example for reading voiceovers and I'm bringing it here again to also reinforce some of these Principles for reading voiceovers that you should note So this one was the introduction of a documentary Which means that by the time you're done with this It should make you curious enough to want to finish the rest of the film Or continue the narration from there So it's an introduction you're a presenter Welcome to planet earth Is I whoa Is I oh, thank you like it's it's the voice you hear when you open the door welcome to planet earth It opens you up to oh my god. Okay. What's gonna happen? So you need to make the people feel the warmth of that welcome as well That's something you should note. So the first statement either grabs your attention Or not and this one should make the people want to listen to what is coming next welcome to planet earth A place of blue nitrogen skies Oceans of liquid water cool forest now. This one has a lot of descriptive words So cool forest and soft meadows A world positively positively has to have you know, some kind of Positivity to it even in your face and how you sound a world positively rippling with life Let the people know it's positive And then you come to the Scientific or the technical aspects of the thing. So from the cosmic perspective It is for the moment unique unique has to be unique sound like oh, it's not it stands alone It is for the moment unique so again These words will come to you over time When you practice more and more you listen to more voiceovers that You know tend to use these inflections and stress on these words With the emotion that you're supposed to communicate and it will come to you. I I often say that voiceovers are 80% Listening or learning voiceovers is 80% listening to other voice artists and picking these things and When you add some of these techniques or when you have the knowledge of some of these techniques, you're going to realize that Oh, that's why he said it this way or that's why he was said that way and For you as a listener, this is what it did for you and also made you want to listen further. So yes I'm going to end today's video here. I hope you picked up something if you have any questions And like I was saying, I don't consider myself an expert I'm somebody who's done this for eight years and I'd love If somebody has a different approach to some of these things that I'm communicating and also learn from you out there if you have Um, much more experience or if you had something you want to add to this To make it better for people who might be watching this video to learn more So if you like this video, don't forget to give to give it a thumbs up. It really helps and If you haven't subscribed to my channel, please do I'm going to try as much as possible to record more of these videos to help Beginner voiceover artists by sharing what I've picked up over the last few years So that we can all learn and better our craft So like this video subscribe to the channel and don't forget to hit the bell icon Hit the bell icon so that you get notified when I post A new video and yes, it's it's only 10 percent of the people who have subscribed to this channel who have clicked the bell icon. So It's very important and uh, thank you for watching. I'll catch you in the next one Peace