Breaking Down Copy as a Voice Actor – Part 1

I’m often asked as a voice talent, what’s the first thing I do before I voice a project?  The first thing is to analyze the copy, getting an idea of what it’s trying to convey.

• What’s the bottom line of the copy?
  • For commercial copy, what specifically about the product or service does the client want its potential customers to get out of the copy and remember? When the writer wrote the copy, how has he or she positioned the product or service in the market?  Focusing on the last, or next-to-last, line of the copy can be a good clue.  Like he writer who constantly attempts to justify the premise of their “topic sentence” in an essay, the actor should never lose sight of the “bottom line” of the copy.
• Who are you talking to?
  • Be specific. Before you focus on the character or quality of the voice you’re going to use when you perform it, decide who the person the client wants to reach with the commercial is.  Think about someone in your life that you might relate this particular product or service to; maybe it’s your sister who just had a baby and the product is for baby food or some other baby related product or service.  THAT’S who you’re talking to. Using these people as your sounding board will often be your muse when trying to determine WHO you’re talking to which helps the believability of your performance.

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