How do voiceover techniques vary between commercials, audiobooks, and animation?

Key differences between commercials, audiobooks, and animation below!

1. Commercials:
- Pacing: Generally fast-paced and energetic
- Tone: Often persuasive, enthusiastic, or authoritative
- Duration: Usually 15-60 seconds
- Technique focus:
  - Emphasis on key words/phrases
  - Clear enunciation for brand names and calls-to-action
  - Ability to convey emotion quickly
  - Often requires multiple takes with different inflections

2. Audiobooks:
- Pacing: Slower pace allowing listeners to absorb the story
- Tone: Varies, but often natural and engaging 
- Duration: Long-form (stamina and consistency REQUIRED!)
- Technique:
  - Character voicing and differentiation
  - Maintaining consistent and multiple voices over many recording hours
  - Conveying emotion and subtext through vocal inflection
  - Pacing for clarity/dramatic effect
  - Handling dialogue, narration, and exposition

3. Animation:
- Pacing: Often exaggerated for comedy's sake
- Tone: Often stylized and exaggerated vs. more naturalistic
- Duration: From short clips to full-length 
- Technique:
  - Creating distinct, unforgettable character voices
  - Vocal malleability and range
  - Conveying physical actions through voice and effects like grunts, gasps, etc.
  - Often high energy and physical performance

Voiceover's all about switching it up. For commercials, you gotta bring the hype—quick and snappy. Audiobooks? Keep it chill, natural, and steady since it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Animation’s where you can go wild—big emotions, crazy voices, the whole deal. Different gigs, different styles!

I'm celebrating 40 years as a voice over professional and the techniques have changed wildly during that time!

Basically it comes down to the script, the audience and the client and really not the genre of production. I'll briefly explain. For commercials, audiobooks and animation voice over work - depending on the script and if you are given any direction from the client and who your audience is will determine how you approach the read.

I have voice hundreds of commercials that require high energy and "punching" certain phrases if it is a product or event but at the same time I have also been directed on other commercial reads to deliver soft and natural and like your best friend sharing a great secret - two totally different techniques but both requiring nuances that make a huge difference in whether a commercial will be successful.

I have produced over 80 audiobooks (and have listened and studied hundreds more), both nonfiction and fiction, some with character dialogue and some just narrative style. Most will require a steady (but not monotonous) and engaging delivery. They could be full of stats or they could be full of drama - again you have to know your material and this is where acting and experience is crucial.

The animation/game voice work I have done has usually been breathy villains or over the top battle hardened heroes so this requires complete submersion into the character - you have to sell a mood, attitude, pain, anger and even death with the occasional groan and scream from time to time. And you have to do this being mindful of mic placement, voice levels and even being careful of your arms flying around

I believe what is comes down to is reading and understanding what is going on, listening carefully to the client along with asking good questions and then experimentation. I almost always provide alternative takes for commercial/animation projects even if I have been given directions.  

For commercials, an upbeat tone of voice is typically used, whereas for audiobooks, the delivery is slower and calmer, with frequent pauses to allow the listener time to absorb the information. For animation, the tone and emotion can vary widely depending on the character being voiced, covering a broad spectrum of voices, tones, and emotions.

When it comes down to it, client is king.

What does that mean?

I could talk until the cows come home about how a commercial "should" be performed, an audiobook "should" be performed, or an animated character "should" be performed. but if that is not what the client wants in his or her head, then no matter how much someone might tell you it "should" be some way or the other generically, if what you do is not what the client values, then that is not the way to do it.

Put more positively, clients have so many different values. Clients are just people (or groups of people). Some people like hard sells, some people like monotone, some people like conversational, some like formal.  Some clients know exactly what they want; some don't know what they want; some think they know what they want and you give it to them and they say "not that." Some clients have conflicting feelings about what they want. Some clients are teams of people who conflict on what they want!

At that, not all clients hear the same things: Some call "robotic" what another calls "expressive." Some call "conversational" what another calls "too fast."

Doing voiceovers is part relying on your gut and your experience, part crossing your fingers that you understand what the client values and the client comes back with "Great!"

I have done a children's audiobook expressively, only later to learn that the author prefers a monotonous, plain read.  I have done a fairy tale audiobook only to learn the author wanted a more serious read.  Surprises in both cases.

At the end of the day, ask the client what the client is looking for a commercial read, an audiobook read, an animation read. If the client can provide you with reference audio, that helps you better understand if you share the same values. It also helps you understand if you use the same words to describe what you hear.  The word "passionate" means so many different things to so many different people.  But without an example of a voiceover that for the client exemplifies "passionate," you might just be guessing what the client means when she wants her audiobook of religious recipes read "passionately."

So, it is not that voiceover techniques vary among commercials, audiobooks, and animations. They can all be the same; they can all be different.

Each has their own style and pace.  I would say that most people that work full time in voice over are dialed into 1 or 2 genres that they quickly "turn on" when needed.  

Commerials require much more than just the VO read.  You will also need to know all of the tech specs for commercial VO.  For instance, a 30 second commercial most likely needs to be read in 29.5 second to allow for sound up and out. It's tiny things like that, outside of the read, that working pros know that keep them busy working.  

Audiobooks is for more patient and steady paced reads.  The ability to keep an even pace and know when to emote and how much is imperative in Audiobooks.  Also the editing techniques for Audiobooks differ from all other forms as you will need to be mindful of edits while recording at length.  The style is subjective, but the tech specs are different. 

Animation is an "all in" performance.  Animation requires you to completely go way past comfortable to pull off an emotive performance.  Sure some shows are more grounded and nuanced so they don't need over the top, but most animation requires you as the performer to bring a 2d character to life.  Also animation requires range.  To many voice actors assume a few character voices or impressions they can do will get them work.  It's more about being able to pivot immediately without hesitation when a producer asks for something new.  This can be true for commercial as well. 

Techniques are small changes you make to fit your natural voice into a genre. It also depends on the genre you want to voice. 

For me, I am not a great reader so audio books aren’t a genre that interest me and that’s ok. However, if you love books and stories and have a quiet recording space, then you probably have the most important technique already… you are a smooth reader. It’s also important that you can read without making mistakes. Audio books can also have many genres. You have romance, fiction, nonfiction, political, fantasy, true crime etc... It depends on the genre you like to voice. 

It’s more important to know your own strengths and limitations. For example, I love character work, but it depends on the character. My voice is wonderful for an old crown woman or a snarky teenager, but there are some characters that are just more difficult for me to perform. So I know that.

It’s best to know what you are good and not good at. Once you know…your techniques are simply a matter of refining them to fit the right character, tone, pace, energy or personality etc..

Your techniques can also work in many other genres like commercial, promo or medical narration.

I keep a list of attitudes and ways to read something in my recording space as this is one of my techniques for getting unstuck. If I get stuck, I look at the list of words and pull from it. For example, if I have a character and I feel the character is sounding the same, but needs to have more attitude, I will pull a word and read the script in way like depressed, anxious, elated or confused. 

Promo, which are generally ads, tends to be a bit faster and shorter. So if you are good at pulling out an amazing read in 30 seconds that’s probably a great place to start. However, you need energy and the ability to take direction well. Whether you read the direction in a narrative or you are being coached or directed by someone during a live session, you also have to be able to very your pitch and give several reads. 

There are many types of voice overs and techniques. You may need a coach to really dive into specifics and get help. 
 

Voiceover techniques differ significantly between commercials, audiobooks, and animation due to the unique demands of each medium. Here's a breakdown of how these techniques vary:

1. Commercials

Tone and Pacing: Voiceovers for commercials are typically one of three styles:
Hard Sell (energetic, urgent, enthusiastic)
Soft Sell (sympathetic, warm, casual)
Testimonial (1st person perspective, natural)

Target Audience: The voiceover is tailored to resonate with the specific demographic being targeted. For example, a commercial aimed at young adults might use a trendy, conversational tone, while one aimed at seniors might use a more soothing and reassuring voice.

Call to Action: There's often a strong emphasis on the "call to action," with the voiceover guiding listeners on what to do next, such as visiting a website or making a purchase.

2. Audiobooks

Narrative Style: In audiobooks, the voiceover artist is responsible for narrating the entire text, which can include various characters, settings, and moods. The style is more subdued and focused on storytelling, with a steady pace that allows listeners to immerse themselves in the content.

Character Differentiation: One of the key skills in audiobook narration is the ability to distinguish between characters through subtle changes in voice, tone, pitch, and accent. This helps listeners keep track of who is speaking, especially in dialogue-heavy sections.

Consistency: The voiceover must maintain consistency in character voices and overall tone throughout the entire book, sometimes over many hours of recording. This requires stamina and attention to detail.

Pacing: The pacing in audiobooks is generally slower than in commercials, allowing listeners to fully absorb the narrative. The narrator may pause for dramatic effect or to emphasize certain moments in the story.

3. Animation

Characterisation: In animation, the voiceover artist brings animated characters to life through highly expressive and often exaggerated vocal performances. The voice must match the character's personality, physical traits, and emotions.

Range and Versatility: Voice actors in animation often need a wide range of vocal abilities to portray multiple characters or characters with distinct, sometimes fantastical voices. This can include altering pitch, tone, speed, and even creating entirely new sounds.

Timing: Precise timing is crucial in animation in projects where the voiceover must synchronise perfectly with the character's movements and lip-sync. This requires careful coordination with the pre-animated footage and great patience as this will be very time consuming.

Emotion and Exaggeration: Animated characters are often more expressive than real-life characters, so the voiceover may require heightened emotion and exaggerated delivery to match the visual style of the animation.

Summary

Commercials require a sharp, persuasive delivery with a focus on engagement and a strong call to action.

Audiobooks demand a steady, immersive narrative style with character differentiation and consistent pacing.

Animation involves highly expressive, exaggerated performances with a focus on characterization and synchronization with visuals.

Each medium requires voiceover artists to adapt their techniques to meet the specific demands of the content and audience.