May 31st, 2011
Your cool ain’t necessarily that cool
Recently I was hired to voice as a young "cool and hip" 25 to 30 year old guy for an in-house video. I got the script along with the storyboard a few hours before the recording session. I then dutifully analyzed and practiced the script a few times. I was ready, willing, and feeling like a "cool and hip" 25 to 30 year old guy (in a 41 year old body 
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The session proceeded as usual, ending with a satisfied client at its conclusion. Nice and smooth. Another day at the office. Except that the final read was almost 180 degrees different from what I had prepared.
What happened?
On Tuesday night, March 15th, the good people over at 
Have you ever had one of those slap-your-hand-to-your-head-and-say-"d'oh!" moments? You know the kind. It's when all of the facts have been patiently staring you in the face while your brain stubbornly refuses to acknowledge them. Then suddenly "WHAM!" the connection is made and you find the palm of your hand applied firmly to your forehead. You hear words like "Duh!", "D'oh!", or "I'm such an idiot!" flying from your lips.
If you asked a professional voice actor to perform a script like a regular person reading out loud from a book, he or she could do it — and you would immediately recognize the poor performance. If you asked for a natural, conversational read, then you would immediately recognize that one as well (and be much, much happier with the result.)
When I prepare a script, I always begin by analyzing each and every sentence. I look for clues as to the emotional tone of the script. I dig into the "meat" of every word and phrase to see how they relate to each other. And then finally step back in order to take in the script as a whole. It takes a little time... but not too much. Yet, without this important step, the script would never become a living and breathing entity of performance — complete with its own beginning, middle, and end.
When I first began to study the art of voice overs and script analyzation, I thought that each script had only one interpretation and I had to find that one singular and perfect read using nothing more than the scant clues provided by the client and the hints hidden within the copy itself.
