Self Direction
There’s been an explosion of home studio creation during the pandemic. That means there has also been an explosion of voiceover talent directing themselves alone in their basement. For those that have been recording voiceover for a long time, you can certainly have some success with this method. During the last 25 years, the majority of my recording sessions have been self-directed. A voiceover is usually the last piece of the puzzle in most projects. Sometimes it’s difficult for a talent to truly know the project creator’s intent. It is possible to gradually learn how to remove yourself as the talent after recording, and work towards becoming an objective listener of your work. It’s an incredibly important skill to have in the voiceover business today. In fact, I would go as far to say that you cannot survive without it.
Although, during those 25 years, my most impactful voiceover projects have often stemmed from someone else directing me. A good director gives you confidence in the booth, yet isn’t afraid to point out when something was off the mark. Great directors are able to get an emotion, tone or feeling out of a talent that they could have never achieved on their own. The director has been there throughout the project’s entire journey. They know the audience the project’s creator is trying to reach. They know the mood or feeling the project is trying to provoke. They’ve heard the sound design. They’ve seen every shot from every angle. It’s extremely difficult to absorb all of that from the script alone.
Now you’re probably thinking, but what about the voice-over specs? Writing down or typing out how you want a piece of audio to sound is almost as difficult as writing a good script. We’ve all seen the completely ridiculous and contradictory specs that come with certain projects. Some of those gems are good for a laugh for sure! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve booked work by completely ignoring the specs that were originally written on the job opportunity. Some of these feel like they were quickly scribbled down by an assistant not completely invested in the project. Right now in my head, I’m hearing Nancy Wolfson, one of my voiceover coaches, famously shout “F&@! the specs!!!!”.
I was inspired to write this after a great session with the great director, musician and demo producer Chuck Duran. He directed and produced my latest commercial demo and I was completely blown away with the results . Chuck is a true pro. I’ll take what I’ve learned from him and other great directors, and continue to apply those methods when directing myself.
Chuck Duran’s Site: www.demosthatrock.com