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How to Approach Voice Over for Family Friendly Commercials

Summer time and the living is full of family friendly get-togethers and outings and commercials offering advice on what to do to keep everyone happy and how to save money doing it. To be able to serve Mom, Dad, the kids, Grandma and the clients as well, we as the voice over actors have a few things to keep in mind regarding how to approach these enticing little packets of advertising invitation and fun for all in 30 seconds or less.

Family Friendly Activity Ads

Whether roller coasters or science centers, museums or events, family friendly activity ads seek to entice the gang to come together for some sort of way to spend time and make great memories together. From a voice over perspective the approach can go a couple of ways. Joyous, raucous, good time fun or slightly wry amusement at the antics the gang will get into. It’s a lot easier to stay in the moment with these kinds of spots if you can see the visuals at the same time. For most of us recording remote, that’s not possible and of course, that never happens in radio, so here’s where you get to pull in your imagination and see in your mind’s eye the gang running toward the entrance, pointing upward in awe or getting more ice cream on their faces than in their bellies. Building imaginary visuals makes it real, keeps you in the moment and makes your voice over performance spectacular. Here’s a lively ad I did for the Birmingham Zoo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_tRrm9B1DQ

Birmingham Zoo – Kim Handysides Voice Over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_tRrm9B1DQ)

Fun in Your own Backyard Commercials

Fun in your own back yard commercials are centered on smaller budget enjoying time together every day time. So, picnics and pools, pup tents and barbeque, playgrounds and slip and slides, even gardening and lawnmowers. These spots roam from the Dad’s Day and Mother’s Day territory through Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. While occasionally high-energy (think slip and slide) commercials in this family friendly realm are often a little more pulled back. Relaxed fun, warm n’ cozy. Obviously the script will reveal which direction to sink into and you’ll bring your own choices to the table. This is a chance to really pull out your storytelling voice over skills.

Voice Over for Family Friendly Destination Vacation Ads

I don’t know about you, but many of the best memories of my life are centered on trips taken and shared with family. We particularly love visiting National & State parks and spots for these wilderness & adventure areas fall in this category. So do some tourist board and airline ads. But mostly this is the domain of the week or two at Disney or the all-inclusive fun-cations at Club Med and other companies or on cruises. Draw on your own experiences (or perhaps the ones you wish you had or want to have) to voice this kind of ad. Sharing relax time, adventure and the delight of discovery with my kids, husband, cousins, siblings and/or parents have been just the best. That’s what to keep in mind when doing voice over for family friendly destination vacation ads. (like this one I did for Club Med)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSkYlQq8xfM

The Amazing You Can do All Kinds of Things Commercial – Kim Handysides Voice Over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSkYlQq8xfM)

Voice Over for Family Friendly Retail Commercials

The voice over for successful family friendly retail ads is welcoming, approachable, smart and understanding. You know that $30 in savings this week on bathroom tissue and sundries or that 25% off on back-to-school items will make a big difference to the (one) person you’re talking to. Maybe the difference between having extra money to take the kids out for pizza or maybe the difference between having to put in extra shifts to make ends meet that week or being able to stay home with their kids. I always find the way to make these commercials pop is building back story for the person I’m talking to. A back story I personally care about (or can relate to) and then, sharing the excitement of getting to be the one to help make a difference in their day to day lives. Retail ads encompass everything from groceries and pharmacies to hardware and clothing. Our everyday essentials and little extravagances. Even healthcare – check out my Texas Children’s Hospital Plan ad here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6HhSwtfyCQ

Texas Children’s Health Plan TV Commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6HhSwtfyCQ)

Voiceovers where the Ad is aimed at Kids

Three kinds of style choices when voicing ads aimed directly at kids are very effective. There’s what I call the camp counsellor or scout leader style. Where you’re rallying the kids together on a fun adventure. You’re a little older than them and you’re in a relaxed position of authority but you talk directly to them and get them pumped for next activity or game you’ve got planned. The second is where you are either one of the kids yourself or you’re playing with the kids. Think toy ads, cereal, snacks and merch based on cartoons and movies. Remember when you were over the top excited and having the time of your life all because of a toy, and Saturday mornings and after school times were the best ever because of that cereal or snack? That’s the direction. The third choice is the character approach. Much the same as animations, these voiceovers where the ad is aimed at kids are driven by character choices as wide as the world. Fairies and princes and zombies and unicorns and dragons and fish. Anything under the sun and stars. This ad I did for the Virginia Air & Space Center combines the energy and rallying call of a family friendly activity ad with the cartoon fun of talking directly to the kids through their “shopping list” of activities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibWJajkWEp8

Commercial for Virginia Air & Space Center – Math Alive Exhibition – Kim Handysides Voice Over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibWJajkWEp8)

As well as voicing tons of family friendly commercials myself, I offer voice over performance coaching on commercials, narrations and eLearning. If you ever need either, contact me.

Best Voice Over: Spotlight on Health Care Ads

Voiceover Styles

Health care ads are a mainstay in advertising and the best voice over chosen to present medical messages is a critical part of creative choice. Healthcare commercials achieve their goals through a few specific avenues in terms of vocal tone and direction: sentimental – those that tug at heart strings, inspirational – through sharing success stories or great track records, and solution – matter of fact – as in, you’ve got a problem? We’ve got the solution. Which one do you think is at the heart of this health care ad I voiced for the Texas Children’s Health Plan?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6HhSwtfyCQ

Texas Children’s Health Plan TV Commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6HhSwtfyCQ)

The hallmark of healthcare ads no matter the end-goal is motivating people to take action toward taking good care of themselves. Easier said than done. Consumers aren’t generally interested in healthcare messages and place their own health at the lower end of their list of priorities unless they or a loved one is embroiled in the middle of a health problem. Challenging people to make connections between behavior change and well-being is not easy. Done well, it’s presented through stories that resonate with target markets. But many healthcare ads have the added constriction of tight FDA controls over what can and cannot be said about procedures, methods and the places and people we turn to for ideas of where to go to and what to do when we want to improve or take care of our health.

Behind the Message in Voicing Health Care Ads

Voice actors can get clues on how to better deliver the messages behind health care ads by gaining insight into how consumers react to certain word choices that may be in the healthcare script. Becker’s Hospital Review had some interesting insights into power words to lean in to in terms of performance. Words like “knowledgeable” “trust-worthy” and “cost-effective” gained top marks in terms of inspiring customer loyalty. “Sincere,” “authentic,” and “safe” are other words that resonated well with the consumers surveyed in this report. For voice actors, keeping these ideal messaging words uppermost in our minds when we approach how to perform our voice over narrations for these ads, whether they appear in the copy or not, enhances our delivery.

Personal Approach in Voicing Health Care Ads

To break past the vast divide of anonymity and reams of red tape people may feel when thinking about hospitals and health insurance, the actor voicing health care ads needs to remember to take a personal approach. Health care is ultimately very personal. Our interactions whether on the giving or receiving end are one person to one person at a time. Remembering that and bringing our voice over delivery to the one-on-one level helps humanize the message. Health care ad agencies know the best way to reach their audience is through creating an emotional connection. One that garners trust. In order to vocalize that, we voice actors have to be as authentic and genuine as possible in delivering the copy. Our ability to be sincere on behalf of our clients (i.e. the hospitals, health insurance companies for which we speak) can mean the difference between their client making a decision in their favor or not.

Voice Over on Behalf of Doctors and Clinics

Smiling Doctor holding Healthcare Ads sign — Source: Koeppel Direct

Though smaller than hospitals and insurance companies, commercial voice over on behalf of doctors and health care clinics are another important part of the mix of health care commercials. Showcasing physicians may be a choice made by some hospitals, like how Mount Sinai made their docs (and themselves as a result) seem more interesting and accomplished in promoting their musical side. Whether the marketing venture has a bigger or smaller lens, the successful voice over for doctor and clinic ads will be one that’s compelling and relatable. We need to spark emotion and curiosity and not forget the most important tool in our voice actor’s toolkit: the ability to storytell.

DTC Pharmaceutical Ad Voice Overs

Now, I can hear you saying, Kim, this is all well and good for branding messages but how can a voice actor riff away at a DTC (direct-to-consumer) pharmaceutical ad in a conversational, storytelling voice over manner? Especially when most of them are chock full of medical and legal terminology longer than Apollo’s journey to the moon and back. In a word, finesse. You work those $50 words until they roll off your tongue as easily as your grocery list and you imagine you’re sharing that info with your best friend – who’s life could just happen to become a whole lot better by taking said medication. I once had a client ask me to read a product monograph in a conversational way. A product monograph! That’s the little insert full of clinical trials and p values inside the medication box. Yup, it took a lot of imagining and world building, but I’m happy to say, it can be done. Happily, in spite of all the legalise and FDA restrictions put upon pharma ads, they do help people solve problems. They invite consumers to start conversations with doctors. So the artful voice over artist must self-direct to spin the words in, you guessed it, a compelling, authentic and genuine manner by focusing on the people, the pain of the problem and the hope and joy of the solution.

The Huge Role of Emotion in Health Care Ads

Whether voice over or action on screen, the myriad of emotions played in a health care ad are what ultimately make them successful, because our health is inextricably linked with our emotional state. Unwell, we are unable to interact socially with friends, family and loved ones at the same level. The stress of ill health unleashes a storm of emotional burden, whether we or a member of our close circle are the ones affected. Docs, HCPs and other health care providers also bring in incredible emotion in their passion for healing and finding cures and compassion for patients and caregivers. How do we as actors and voice artists pay tribute to the huge role emotion plays in health care ads in an honest, engaging way? We do it by breaking the fourth wall. By interacting directly (in our artist mind’s eye) with the person who could most benefit from the message we deliver.

Where Health Care Ads are Going in the Future

Health care and related industries are highly competitive and to succeed must stay on top of marketing trends. This not only includes pre-roll ads, banners and social media spots, it includes updating websites with patient portals and other tools to make it easier for patients to connect with docs and their services online. Mobile marketing, digital marketing and social media advertising has seen massive growth and will continue to grow. However offline advertising such as TV, radio, cable and print will continue to hold its own for years to come.

Insider View Pt 2: 7 Secrets to Directing Your Voice Actors

Voiceover Coach, Voiceover Coaching

My Insider View Pt 2: Directing Voice Actors – 7 Freebie Secrets — Source: Deviant Art

You’ve been tasked with directing the audio on a commercial, a corporate video or gaming session. You know how you want it to sound, but are you certain you’ll be able to get that from your voice actor?

Actors are a touchy-feely, capricious lot. They are trained to observe and catalogue the behavior of others, be open to the moment, sound and appear truthful or believable and simultaneously tap into their rainbowed fount of expressive creativity.

The Power of Improv

Give your actor licence to play. Get a good take and a safety in the (sound) bank, then invite the actor to improvise. Ad-libbing around the script can unearth sparkling performances. Encourage them to roll into the script with lead-ins, toss in extra words and extros. These can all be edited out. But sometimes enhance the original script. A fellow actor I often work with in commercials is extremely proficient at this. He peppers his performance with Bruce-isms, often cranking up the funny, relevance and sheer entertainment value.

Grunts, Groans & Growls

Ask for non-verbal sounds. Sighs, moans, giggles, yips. These utterances are paralinguistics and add flavor and punch. Think of them as audible emojis. Welcome them. 7 % of human communication is in the form of words. 38% of our communication expressed through sound is non-verbal. Your voiceover actor’s sound scape will sound more realistic adorned with a few choice non-verbal sounds. Ask for lots, then use your judgement on what to keep and what to toss.

Actor W’s: Who, Who, Why and sometimes Where

Every actor needs to know three things going into a commercial, cartoon or any session. Who am I? Am I a businessman boarding a plane? A mom shuttling kids to soccer practice? A peer revealing the latest time saving technology at work? Who am I speaking to? My best friend? A colleague? And why? As in why is it important that I tell them this message of your project now? These are things that we all know in real life. Your actor needs that info, too. Some actors may make those choices themselves, but it is better for the director to understand and communicate that out of the gate. Where will it be shown/heard can also guide the actor. The delivery for a cartoon channel delivery will sound different from a self-help audiobook or a conference hall seating 2000. The “what” is the unfolding performance itself.

Cracking the Code

Your script is your brush and paint. Your marble and chisel. The tool you and the actor (and sound engineer) will use to create your audio end-product. You can help the actor interpret the script by pointing out certain words or phrases. Point out triplets and make sure the emphasis is not on the repeated words. Verbs are great places to lay emphasis, especially in a list. The creativity of both you and the actor may be taxed if the client weighs in and insists certain prominence be placed on words that are important to them. Sometimes the thrown away words are the ones that sell the most. What is not said in the script but could be implied in the scene is another layer of nuance and can often be as important as what is said.

Evil Line Reads

The worst thing a director can do is give an actor a line read. Meaning, tell the actor, ”Say it like this, Charlie:” and then attempt to deliver the line yourself. This is the mark of either a green or a shoddy director. At best, when you line read, you are doing the actor’s job for them. So, then why are directing? Why aren’t you acting? At worst, you are muddling through your own probably poor rendition of what you want, which does not inspire, may irritate and will probably confuse the actor. Your job is to motivate, guide or propel the actor toward a certain delivery. To do this, you need to a) understand what is important in each line and the narrative in the whole and b) sort out how to encourage the actor to find that on her own.

Rhythm and Muse (ic)

There is one exception to the line-read rule as colleague voice coach Martha Kahn points out: kids. Child actors are incredible aural mimics and hone in on the music of your phrase. Your tone, rhythm, accent. Everything. Under 12 years old, they are still incredibly skilled at distinguishing subtle differences in sounds. I talk about the music of a sentence when directing actors. It’s another aspect of observation they will incorporate into performance and it’s another tool for you to helping them create the right sound. Descriptors you can use are giving a line a close (effectively ending the line on a lower note) – this makes a statement sound definitive. It’s opposite, uptalking, is generally a tendency to avoid, unless you’re helping the actor define a less credible character. Too much music, a roller coaster sound sounds fake and “announcery” and too little music or inflection sounds robotic.

Vocabulary (Words, words, words)

Good directors speak actor. They understand that to arrive at a certain performance, an actor uses substitutions. For example, your actor may need to be enthusiastic about a casino, but in real life come from a background where gambling strained or destroyed their childhood. The actor will substitute something they can get excited about instead. It may be puppy adoption, Steve Madden shoes on sale or baseball season. You don’t need to know what the actor is using to find that enthusiasm, but reminding them about finding a substitution is important. Another great actor-word is intention. Which means more than objective or target. To the actor, it means how do I get what I want? Another element actors use to help them create is subtext. Smart communication is layered with choice. Often what we say is counter to what we mean. Actors use this to layer in authenticity to the characters they create.

Directing takes skills. This blog is Part 2 of a three-part series on directing voice talent and can be applied to most audio or video projects. The first instalment looked at the three positions the voice director navigates in a session. The third focuses on tips on self-direction for working remotely from your own home sound studio, as more and more voice actors are doing nowadays.

What are your pet peeves & what do you think makes a great voice director?

Spotlight on a Retail Video Ad: My Voice Over Life

My Voiceovers, Voiceovers Completed

Ask anyone who knows me in my voice over life. I love video ads. In fact, if I had to choose only one form of voice work to do for the rest of my life, it would be commercial voice overs. The kind that sells things to the everyday Jane & Joe. Like this 15 second gem for Sears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAiZxf4QAOE

Sears Fourth of July Mattress Spectacular Event Commercial – Kim Handysides Voice Over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAiZxf4QAOE)

Creativity within a Constraint

I hanker for a good set of boundaries within which to play. I first realized this during a year long stint on a weather channel, where I had to spiel off weather report after weather report in 4 minute and 50 second chunks over and over again for hours on end. Hotter than Hades you say? I did succumb to initial tedium, for about a minute. Maybe two. But then, I realized there was a secret challenge locked in “sunny today with a cold front moving in.” Yes, the basic info was pretty much the same from set to set, hour to hour, but I could change the delivery. Experiment within it. Improv it up. Find ways to make it more natural, more serious, more conversational. Roll it around in some humor, find out how to make commercial voice over funny, get busy with it. Same thing applies for that 15 or 30 second mini-saga centered around advertising toilet paper. It’s a creative constraint I love to play in.

Helping Humanity

Seriously Kim? You’re going to say convincing people to load up on discounted toothpaste and deodorant is helping humanity? Yes. I am. Because I am genuine in my approach to retail ads. And health and cosmetic ads are not exception. What does that mean? It means knowing that for the pensioner or single mom, the money they save on those toiletries may mean the difference in being able to spend it on something nice for themselves, or in some cases, in just being able to make ends meet. So I do get excited about deodorant 3 for $5 because that is my way of helping people. Cynics may see it another way. That’s their view. This is mine.

The McLuhan Spice Blend

Marshall McLuhan, father of media theory, said “Advertising is the greatest art form of the 20th century.” I grew up believing this and hearing the greatest minds are not in the universities, hospitals or on Wall street – they’re on Madison Avenue churning out ads. Whether that’s true or not, as a voice over talent, I bathe in the notion that adding human sound to ads is my predominant art form. Some of them are arty ads. Some of them are family friendly ads. A lot of them are not. But they are all different. Like curry, cumin or chili powder, they all have their own flavor. They all reach out creatively to tap someone on the shoulder and send what could be a very impactful message.

Looking for a great voice to help you sell your message? I’d love to help.

Health eLearning VoiceOver: Medical Background Required?

eLearning, Voiceover Styles

It takes a finessed approach to narrate to and essentially teach health care professionals. As a voice over actor with over twenty years of experience in medical eLearning-voice-over I’ve worked on projects targeted to the general public and medical professionals alike. Although I have no formal medical background, I have found the key is to sound like I do.

Medical eLearning: An Adjusted Voiceover Delivery

Medical eLearning generally informs learners about latest techniques and important breakthroughs, clinical results and indications regarding medicine, nutrition, pharma and anything related. Projects for voice over artists vary widely, so using a single universal approach for health or medical eLearning is not the best idea. For instance, the professor of an online course for university student nutritionists I recently did wanted me to use a conversational, colloquial tone for her biology course. A series of medical training modules I narrated earlier in the year was essentially a how-to manual for a highly complex and technical radiation machine. It required something more informative and mature that could still engage throughout some fiercely dense material. Like form follows function, narration tone follows content.

The same goes for the target audience, or the intended listener. Health eLearning is for everyone. In schools, children learn about hygiene, nutrition and hand washing and often, especially with larger class sizes, teachers supplement learning with interactive eLearning software. Voice over scripts for these projects may not use of heavy vocabulary, but vocal delivery still requires a balance between educating and engaging today’s youth.

Acting in Medical Narration

A voice actor works to genuinely understand and connect with the script before recording anything. This may require research and questions. Understanding why the lessons are important helps them care about the material and form an emotional connection. Which is important, because as Dr Immordino-Yang in her book Emotions, Learning and the Brain says, “It is neurobiologically impossible to think deeply about things you don’t care about.” This has led some content production companies to assume hiring the subject matter expert will make their elearning project sound great. After all, most MEs are passionate about their subjects. The difference between a SME and a voiceover actor is that as the professional voice artist connects and understands the material, their training kicks in. They then find actual passion within themselves about the content to transmit to the listener.

Stethoscope, coffee cup, Kim Handysides Voiceover — Credit: Raw pixel

One of my regular life sciences clients paid me a great compliment recently. I happened to be doing some research for a blog and asked what was most important to her in an eLearning narrator reading material in the health sciences. To which she replied, “A medical background, like you have, Kim.” While I do have a graduate diploma in science, my undergrad is in communications with a minor in theatre. But I have a toolkit of important qualities that help my clients feel comfortable depending on me, their voice over talent, to speak science and medicine fluently. As well as journalist and theatrical training which I continue to hone annually, I have a keen, and I mean razor sharp interest in the life sciences. Combine that with a vigilant awareness of pronunciation, a Grey’s Anatomy vocabulary, and a deep empathy with both those trying to inform and those who receive the information. These elements help me not only speak like an expert with medical background, they help me present the material in a winning way. It has also helped to have grown up with several doctors, nurses, pharmacists and researchers in the family.

As an eLearning voiceover coach , I tell my students only approach medical eLearning if they either have some background in it or a keen interest in the subject matter. If they’re new to the genre, they must take time with their scripts. Practice until those complex words roll off the tongue as easily as your own name. And think about both the listener and the company or institution who hired them and put the program together. The voiceover is the conduit, the bridge if you will, between sender and receiver for their message. All involved depend on the narrator to make certain that info gets where it needs to go.

What has your experience been in reading medical scripts or hiring medical narrators?

How to Voice Over ELearning for Kids

eLearning

Just like this Porifera named Bob, children are like sponges. Sometimes we forget how quickly and how much they pick up and next thing we know, they’re repeating words we may not think they should incorporate into their vocabularies just yet. They absorb more information than we realize, and their education doesn’t stop when the school bell rings.

And of course, they are extremely comfortable with electronic environments. This plus the fact that schools are overcrowded and underfunded, is it any wonder close to 50% of the growth in eLearning in the US in the last couple of years

has been in the K-12 market. Ergo the profusion of ELearning courses for kids. Whether you as the narrator or a character within a course is helping kids stay on track with their studies or relaying new and exciting subjects, there are a few things voice over actors need to remember when speaking to a younger audience.

Teaching One-on-One, Not Talking Down

Voice over narration for kid’s eLearning is about finding the correct delivery to ensure the young learner is keeping up, but doesn’t feel talked down to. Kids are super sensitive not only to what we say, but how we say it. Speaking too slowly can sound condescending to little Izzy or potentially boring to young Jake. When it comes to educating the next generation our mission is to help keep them interested in and excited about the subjects they’re learning, by staying engaged with the material ourselves. Here’s where your imagination comes into play. Picture Izzy or Jake by your side. They will be super excited and feel great when they understand what you’re saying. Making it real for you, makes it real for them. Your client will read this as a student that is engaged with his or her eLearning is more likely to score better and retain the information.

The Tone, Inevitably, Sets the Tone

Your tone of voice also dictates how the learner receives the information. Kids react well to an upbeat, lively, conversational tone, but the most important thing is to keep it real. Kids are very perceptive and are used to being highly entertained (tv, social media, gaming). You may know the declaration of Independence so well it may be snore city to you, but beware of sliding into a soporific, meditative voice. Take it as a challenge. This is new info to them, make it new to you too. Bring a light undercurrent of energy to your tone. It will help you stay present. Also take the age of your audience into account. Very young children respond better to bubbly or friendly voiceovers, while older kids respond to a broader range of styles from the hip or cool, to quirky or matter of fact. (i.e. Bill Nye the Science Guy) Another possibility is hiring an adult who sounds like a kid. Friend and talented voiceover artist Lisa Biggs has done eLearning for kids with the boy voice she created, “Liam.” She also offers an excellent course on how to discover your boy voice. Many talented female voiceover artists have a couple of those in their tool kit. (Think Nancy Cartwright, a.k.a. Bart Simpson)

The thing to remember for eLearning voice over project directed to kids or any age, is that your work is a major part of the listener’s overall understanding and education. As they say in the modules, key takeaway? It’s: important.

514-803-2296

kim@kimhandysidesvoiceover.com