Call: +44 (0)20 8995 3628
The Hobsons Prize
2008
Spurred on by our talks at Drama schools and inspired by their enthusiasm for voice-over training, we developed The Prize as an incentive for both students and schools. Curious as to how much interest it might actually generate, we tentatively approached four schools. I’m delighted to say it was seen as a great incentive and enthusiastically welcomed.
Our thanks to everyone who has risen to the challenge of this ‘pilot’ year. From the four schools, who reorganized their timetables to accommodate the selection process and record the entries, to the judges for their invaluable contributions. A special thanks to Nick for allowing us time to host the final in his busy studio.
Four finalists were short-listed and then invited to the final at Angell Sound in London. This simulated a typical, professional voice-over session, with the panel of five judges, acting as clients. They were each given two commercial scripts to record in a maximum of 90 minutes.
Given that none of the finalists had ever recorded under such pressure, they all performed remarkably well, each exhibiting many of the attributes sought by the judges.
After a very careful deliberation, Bethan James from ArtsEd was declared a worthy winner.
Comments from the Judges.
The expertise and experience of my fellow judges were vital in the process and their comments make useful reading for future entrants. These though are my thoughts.
Throughout the judging process, we were looking and listening for certain skills and attributes. But the key quality was potential. We knew we were unlikely to hear polished, professional voice-overs and we were equally aware that most schools have limited recording resources. That said, the standard of entries was generally high. Curiously, where entries had been mixed with music (which was optional), we found it frequently hindered rather than helped. This led us to make a unilateral decision that in future years entrants will be asked not to use music or sound effects.
On the evidence of the first year, it’s clear there is much work to do in raising the standard of material taught on the subject. The skills required are wide ranging and quite different from those needed for radio drama. The four finalists all commented that, prior to performing in the Final, they had not encountered the conditions of a professional voice-over session. And, although they all embraced the process wholeheartedly, it’s nonetheless a crucial observation.
Having an interesting voice and being able to use it are, of course, essential ingredients. But that’s not the whole story, at least to begin with. When a novice voice-over, whether a graduate or a seasoned actor, is sent to their first session, they often have little or no idea what to expect and how to react. They are faced with performing in isolation behind a glass panel, overlooked by a sea of faces wearing a variety of perplexed expressions, whilst very likely trying to fit an overwritten script into 30 seconds or dealing with the complexities of time-code or some other technical necessity! It’s daunting to say the least.
As ever, there’s no substitute for experience, and it’s unlikely that a graduate can be prepared for every situation they might face. But if, along with their acting skills, they have a good grounding in the basics of microphone and studio technique as well as professional etiquette, then they’ll have a reasonable chance of adding this type of work to their skill set and a clear advantage over Jo Public, who wrongly assumes anyone can do it.
“Our very first meeting, when we chose the finalists, revealed that the schools really don’t give sufficient tuition in this area. The Prize will, I hope, help to address this and improve the preparation for those participating each year.
The entrants need to spend more time listening to the voice-overs that they can’t help but hear every single day, through the TV and radio. Study how ‘conversational’ the style tends to be these days and try and match their voice type to the ads/documentaries they hear.
It came as no surprise that each finalist was astounded as to how much detailed work was actually involved, in what at first appears to be a fairly simple piece of text. Why should anyone know unless they’ve tried it? – the end result should always make it sound easy - that’s what each professional involved always aims for.
Never fall into the trap of thinking that being a voice-over is something separate to acting.’ Non actors’ can do voice-overs, but a good actor can turn it into a FAB voice-over!
Something I was very aware of when listening to all the entries, was the lack of awareness of breathing and breath control. This is surprising considering the vocal training that a lot of students are receiving at drama school. If the voice is unsupported you’ll be unprepared for any vocal acrobatics you may need to perform. Always fill the lungs completely before a take and, with control and technique, you can do so much more!
Also, in the narrative section, there were very few who actually connected with their material. It’s not enough to have a beautiful voice reading a block of text – connect with it, think about the words as you say them. Many chose pieces that were very unsuitable for them. Often the subject material was too mature. Take into account your age and voice type and really take time to select each piece. Again, listen to the different narrative styles you hear on TV and radio.
One of the trickiest things to learn is how to split your focus (I’m speaking as a v/o, but of course it’s the same for engineers too). You have to tune in to the tiniest, most subtle differences while remembering the structure, the notes and changes you’ve been given along the way and all the while maintaining the overall style that the job requires. Not to mention the issue of pacing and being aware of how long a second takes – adding and subtracting seconds from your read is an invaluable skill.
The list of plates you need to spin is endless but one day, it does become second nature!”
“A general observation concerned the choice of material. It became clear that in a number of cases the subject matter didn't suit the style of voice. It is therefore important to appreciate what your own vocal strength is and play to it, selecting material that is suitable. Also concentrate on overall attitude, timing (particularly the use of pauses), inflections, emphasis and, of course, appropriateness for the subject matter.
I suspect that there is limitations with the critique of any vocal take at the initial recording stage, so try and be your own harshest critic and truly listen to the performance you have given. Have you delivered a credible and believable interpretation of the script, or is it a poor imitation of a 'local radio' presentation?! Have you used nuance where necessary and brought out product points?
With all this in mind, your first offering on the CD should be the one that best reflects your natural voice. Allow some personality to come through, whilst also delivering the required reading. Let us, the listener, hear the timbre of your voice and the comfortable use of highs and lows. Having done this your second offering should obviously be something different, so characters are good or even something that's a little quirky. Whatever your choice you should be completely comfortable that it is another vocal strength you have.
The final part of my involvement was actually in the studio. Of the four finalists, I was impressed with their work rate and capacity to listen in order to try and act on what was being asked. Without exception the hardest thing to achieve was the refinement of timing, after all in the world of commercials we operate in variances of only half a second, and also the ability to understand subtle inflection changes. For example, the difference between a stress and an inflection. However, effort was expended in addressing these difficult requirements.
In conclusion, much of the ability to refine the skill of all the various disciplines associated with being a really good voice artist comes with experience and, as we all know, it is difficult to get experience unless you are being booked. However, continue to listen to voice-overs on radio and TV commercials, and continually work to train your ear in order that you can hear exactly what your voice is doing.
In my opinion voice work is a great skill and a real art. It can be fun, rewarding and offer the potential to earn good money. So good luck and get out there and do your thing!”
If you want to make money from voice over work, the most important thing is to 'get it'. This is not easy. There will probably just be a minute or two for you to look at a script, after which advertising agency staff will start twitching because they're paying a couple of hundred quid for you to turn up for an hour, and up to five hundred quid an hour on top of that for the studio you're sitting in. Of course, getting it wrong is worse than not getting it - so the pressure is on. The most successful voice artists I've worked with are able to spend Monday flittering between recording studios and coffee shops in Soho, 'getting it' several times a day on several products for several different clients - and then repeat that performance for the rest of the week.
'Getting it' involves understanding what the script is trying to say, which might not always be that obvious – unlikely as that might seem for a thirty second piece of creative! Do ask questions - but don't spend half an hour doing so. It's important you understand both the creative requirement of the script and also the nature of the proposition. This latter point is obvious if you are delivering the product message, but is equally important when delivering character elements because even character voices in a commercial are in part communicating the proposition. This does not mean that a character voice or even an end voice has to be ‘selly’ (unless, of course, you are directed that way). But, understanding the proposition and the tone of the commercial, should inform your character performance.
The finalists in this competition showed considerable ability at rapidly interpreting the scripts and delivering a strong performance. Of course, once you’ve ‘got it’, you then need to ‘own it’. Perhaps the differentiating factor between the finalists was their ability to make their performance the one you’d chose to air when presented with several options. One of the keys to doing this, is to make the words sound like your own, internalise them as much as possible so that you become not the voice over doing a good job, but the character whose words just happen to have been captured on a page by the creative writer. And of course, you then have to follow direction when the creative team have slightly different ideas about how that should sound. It’s a tricky business, but there are a number of very good people out there who are excellent at it – so try and study what they do.
I was impressed with all the finalists, and should they chose to pursue voice over work as a strand to their career, I would encourage them all to do so.