5 Tips on How to Voice Over a Video Like a Pro

Have you ever watched a video where the narration or voice over simply doesn’t seem to line up with the character actors? You know the type…you’re watching it all play out but the words consistently fall further behind the movement of the mouth, or vice versa, the movement of the mouth is ahead of the words.

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Either way, it’s bad! Learning how to voice over a video like a pro isn’t necessarily the most challenging task you’ll perform in post-production, but it may be one of the most frustrating if you’re unprepared.

Here’s how it goes:

The easiest way to get perfect audio for your video is in recording and editing the final voice over audio that is synced with the visuals. And while this may sound easy enough, the truth is, learning how to voice over a video like a prof can be rather tough — at least until you’ve had some practice.

At Beverly Boy Productions we’ve had a lot of practice in producing quality voice over footage that not only grabs the attention of your audience, but that helps them to stay engaged and entertained by your content.

We’ve put together these tips on how to voice over a video like a pro to help you out, but feel free to give us a call for immediate needs in hiring a professional voice over production artist.

#1 . Great Voiceover is Produced with Crisp, Clear Audio

When writing a script, we often read and re-read the script several times to determine how each word or sentence rolls off the tongue. This isn’t just for the fun of it, it’s so that we can determine if there’s a particular phrase or word that causes the actor or reader to fumble.

If that happens, change the word! This way, you don’t make it to the voice over phase and find that it just doesn’t sound right, no matter what you do!

Great voice over audio is crisp and clear. It should be able to be played at a comfortable volume. Poorly recorded voice over messages can be distracting to your audience.

Make sure that your voice over volume is at a comfortable level, not too loud or too quiet, and that the verbiage is crisp and clear.

#2. Set the Pace, Not too Fast or too Slow

Next, you’re going to set the pace for your voice over. As you learn how to voice over video like a pro you’re going to take some steps to ensure that the pace of your recording is just right. If you’re trying to align with a particular scene or footage, that can be a little tricky.

However, if you have full control to set the pace of the video based on your voice over recording, you’re at liberty to tell the story in a way that is most interesting, and engaging, for your audience. 

Have you ever listened to someone tell a story when they’re really excited? They go super fast, and the words roll out so quickly that you get distracted by the speed and lose track of what they’re even saying. This isn’t good! You definitely don’t want this pace for your voice over.

Likewise, slow voice over can set the stage for a lack of interest. You don’t want to bore your audience to sleep, do you? Think about this as you seek to find the sweet spot for your voice video. Set the pace, stay consistent, and practice.

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#3. Keep it Engaging

Just like reading too slow can be boring, so can reading or acting in monotone. There’s nothing worse than listening to a story that has no tone or style to it and is delivered by someone that speaks the same style, speed, tone, and flatness throughout the entire event — BORING.

As you’re learning how to voice over a video, think about HOW you’re speaking. Are you using a friendly voice or are you sounding like a robot? Are you using emotion and inflection to keep the audience engaged or are you just reading one sentence to the next? P

lease do yourself a favor and listen to yourself!

#4. Did We Mention a Clear Recording?

The way that you pronounce words or phrases can throw your entire recording off. As you learn how to voice over a video, think about the words and phrases that you’re using and whether these are coming out as crisp and clear as was discussed in the beginning.

A great voice over is the work of a clear speaker that takes his or her time to ensure each word is clearly pronounced and enunciated.

Don’t overdo it, but please don’t mumble either! Are you using dialect that would only be acceptable in your hometown? Avoid doing so in your voice over unless you’re targeting that area or demographic only.

For example, it may be okay to “Pak the ca” in Boston, but in Florida you’re going to “Park the Car.”

If your accent is omitting syllables or letters, or adding them on, such as in New England where you may have an “idear,” but again that could be confused outside of the area. Pay close attention to how you are saying things.

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Practice, Practice, Practice

The best thing you can do when it comes to learning how to voice over a video like a pro is to practice. The more you practice reading your voice over script and following all of the different recommendations and tips we’ve outlined above, the better you’ll do.

Practice keeping the pace, pitch, tone, and clarity that is going to deliver the most effective end result for your film. Want to hire a voice over professional to help you capture your sound and engage your audience? Give Beverly Boy Productions a call at 888-462-7808.