Over the past few years my ears have been picking up a big dip in the quality of voice over jobs, especially in the realm of advertising, and this due to a rise in use of “inexpert” voices. And there’s no need to be a pro to sense it (a good friend of mine who works in a hospital pointed it out to me the other day when we were watching TV !).
The articulation is often far from satisfactory, the words are mumbled or distorted. And as for the interpretation, well it’s often a mishmash read straight from the paper set to cheap voice melodies. So many times these voices sound discordant, caricatured, and lacking harmony.
Where is the meaning behind the text ? The sincerity and conviction of the delivery ?
The beauty and character of the voice ? Where are the savoured word and the natural harmony that goes into everything that must be mastered by a voice when it speaks in front of a microphone ?
I would never accept this imperfection in my work.
In fact sometimes I articulate too much (this is from working in radio and needing to be understood by a wide audience).
To work with one’s voice and one’s emotions is also to work with one’s ear.
All professional actors know this.
Amateurs do not.
- Virginie Bodin