How to Say WWWWWH - Learn the Placement of VO Direction
Updated: Mar 8, 2021
Welcome to part two of directing voice-over talent. I'm Court and I'm a voice actor. In the first article, we went over to three P’s: Placement, Projection, and Prototype [you can read it HERE]. Today I just want to focus on the first P- Placement.
Don't want to read? Watch it here:
Why is this important? Well, if you decide to hire a voice actor you obviously want to hire a pro and pay them some money, so you want to make sure you get the best bang for your buck. One of the best ways you can do that is to give them clear direction before the recording session. That way they can give you exactly the read you want right away so you can save time, money, and a lot of headaches.
Now let's talk about placement. Placement simply includes the 5W's. It’s those five basic questions to ask to gather information: Who, What, When, Where, Why. Sometimes it also includes How, so that’s WWWWWH. Let's go through them real quick.
Who is this for? This is the demographics of your target audience. Are they new to your product or service or have they been aware of it for years? Is this their first exposure to the subject or is it something that's commonly known? What's their initial attitude (curious, defensive, ambivalent, etc.)?
What is it that you are producing? Is it video, audio-only, an interactive module?
When will people see it? Is a public, for first-time visitors, paid content?
Where is it shown? The where of placement can be any combination of a website, internet video, social media, conference, something that’s sent directly to the client.
Why is this made? Talk about your desired result. Is it to sell, inform, entertain, inspire?
How are you going to get all this done? ...By hiring a great voice actor like me.
Now I know this seems really simple but take the time to answer these questions. Then give those answers to your voice actor. It can really inform them how to approach the script to give you the performance that you want for your product or service. Once again, if you do this it will save you time, money, and a lot of headaches for both of you.
I hope you got some good information out of this. Stay tuned for the next installment of directing voice actors. We’ll talk soon!