Script Tips for Voice Actors - 5 things you should be doing when you're reading scripts!
- Gabrielle Nistico VOCoach
- Aug 21, 2021
- 4 min read
Make sure you're making the most of every audition. Here are 5 things you should be doing right now for every audition.
5 things you should be doing when you're reading scripts!- 4:54
Hey guys, thanks for joining me in this video right here. You might remember me talking about mic tricks and techniques that you need to know for voiceover... there was a lot of controversy with me spinning a microphone around? I'm not going to do that this time. But today we're going to talk about copy techniques and copy tricks that you need to know. Ready? Let's do this.
Hey guys, thanks for joining me on another edition of the Gift of Gab. So today, we are going to talk about copy techniques, copy tricks... they're not really tricks, they're techniques. These are just things that you should absolutely do every single time you're working with script, copy for voiceover, especially if it's an audition.
Thing number one: read everything before you record anything. That is such a fundamental component of this and so many people just try to jump right in and do a cold read. No! Read through your script, get a feel for it, get a sense of the words, get a sense of the flow, of the information, look for tongue twisters, look for weird phrases, look for anything that might trip you up, and give yourself a second to actually get your tongue familiar with those words.
Number two: the copy doesn't rule the performance. You do. Yeah it's important, don't get me wrong, but it's not a security blanket. You can't cling to it so tightly that you forget about your job as the storyteller and the person who's narrating. You've got to make it your own, and sometimes doing that means that you've got to loosen up about the copy a little bit, right? It's how you interpret the copy, it's all about you, it's not really about what's on this piece of paper.
Number three: jokes in copy are rarely if ever funny. Just being honest about it. Copywriters think that they're really really hilarious and that they're always coming up with great stuff....they're not. Their jokes are usually kind of a letdown but you still have to be aware of the joke, you have to find the joke, you have to find the punch line in the copy and you are the thing that makes it funny. The copy by itself really probably isn't all that humorous, but what you do with it can make it hilarious, especially when it comes to comedic timing. The choices that you make are either gonna make us laugh or make you sound disconnected from the words.
Number four: sometimes you gotta move the punctuation. I'm not suggesting that you change anything about the copy, you can't do that. We're not messing with the words here, but sometimes it's knowing that a period is really a question mark, or that a comma really should have been an ellipses... you have that control and you can make those changes. Again, remember you're the one who controls the copy not the other way around. With that being said, sometimes you have to move punctuation just to give yourself room to breathe. We have all encountered massive run-on sentences in voiceover. They don't have to be a problem, you can simply decide to take a stop, pause, breathe, and then continue.
And finally, number five: this copy technique really is all about, again, finding that deeper meaning, that second layer of the copy. You have to take the time to find the dialogue if you're supposed to be in a conversation with someone else, and the two of you are speaking back and forth, even if I can only hear one side of the conversation: yours. You still have to be aware of that other person, you still have to respond, react, work with them, even if they're imaginary. You've got to be aware of that other person, you have to be aware of how you're interacting and you've got to be aware of the conversation that's taking place. So what does this mean? We have to use our imagination a lot. We have to use our crazy a lot, in the best way possible, and we have to take control of the material. Again, you rule the copy, not the other way around.
There you go, guys. Five copy techniques that I hope help you in your voiceover journey.
Hey guys, thank you so much for subscribing. I super appreciate your support, your enthusiasm, I love hearing from you guys via email and social media. Keep the questions coming and I'll see you soon!
704-674-8294 / GabrielleNistico.com / gabby@voiceovervixen.com
Gabrielle Nistico, Gabby Nistico, The Voiceover Vixen, The Business First VO Coach, #VoiceoverVixen #VoiceOnFire #BusinessFirstVOCoach Voiceover, Charlotte, North Carolina, Voiceover Demo, Voiceover Coaching Advice, What Not To Do, Working Actors, Los Angeles, New York,, How to Be a Better Voice Actor, voiceover coaching, YouTube Channel, Voice Acting Coach, working actor, how to read copy, copywriter, jokes, humor, choices, punctuation, crazy, acting tips and techniques
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