At Acting Studio Chicago we are extremely proud of our faculty…..and their books!
Jeff Lupetin, Voice Actor Extraordinaire, teaches several VO classes and is the author of ULTIMATE VOICEOVER. Check out these great tips from Jeff ‘s book.
Below are some extremely practical pacing tips that you can use at your very next Voiceover audition!
ULTIMATE VOICEOVER TIP!
Always read the first line of your copy more slowly than the rest.
This allows you to ease into the voiceover copy you are reading. The first line of a commercial is a type of greeting or intro to tell audiences about the story you are about to tell. By laying out line one in an easy, relaxed manner, the listener can grab hold of what you are saying and follow the rest of the copy more easily. Remember, if you are having trouble slowing down, perform a countdown.
The first line of the script is the pace line of the copy. Read that line at a leisurely pace, get grounded in the spot, and move quicker as you go. We learn everything in life from slow to fast, and there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. If you start too fast, it will only get faster. If you nab the right speed, you will be lock in and then control the script the rest of the way.
THEN Pick up the Pace
Just like a skier, when you start moving downhill, the speed increases. This is no different from when you speak with someone. You get more animated, talk fastr and give more descriptive or intimate details as you progress in the conversation
With your script, after the initial slow hello, we start to move into the guts of the spot – the jelly in the donut, so to speak.
Decelerate Near End
Just before the end line, begin to decelerate to give listeners a verbal cue that the spot is coming to an end. This is a common device used by great public speakers.
You can identify these deceleration lines in commercials. It’s usually something like “So the next time mosquitoes threaten your party…” or “So get he car all America is talking about…”
Look for that deceleration line, and you will be ready to finish the spot off strong.