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Hi guys,
I am a sound designer, looking for inspiration for a poetic art project. I would love to get your input on questions like -
What is your favorite voice over? (Which film/director/actor does it best, in your opinion?)
What are you looking for in a good voice?
How do you prefer to record/edit a voice over?
How do you interact with the voice actor in order to set the right tone in the recording?
Thank you!
Chris Marker- Sans Soleil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf_ug_805HQ
Ben Rivers- Origin of the Species http://lux.org.uk/videos/origin-species
Harun Farocki- As You See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0AnkKRiPMU
John Smith- Slow Glass http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com/2013/02/the-glass-show-at-jonathan-viner/
-and - The Girl Chewing Gum http://lux.org.uk/videos/girl-chewing-gum
What are you looking for in a good voice?
It fits the purpose or matches the character. If it sounds good, it's good.
How do you prefer to record/edit a voice over?
If it's recorded well with a good microphone then all you need to do is to crop the lines (so that you remove extra noises prior and after the voice take) and place the takes depending on how they need to be aligned in the project. You can also record in-place, so that the takes are aligned correctly or almost correctly already during recording. Process (this means compression and EQ) the voice, if it's needed to fit the purpose.
How do you interact with the voice actor in order to set the right tone in the recording?
Kindly ask for or discuss about a different kind of expression, if you think the actor could try something differently. Professional and/or experienced voice actors usually know what they do and can do. Remember not to be bossy, they're the artist, not you. Make the actors' studio and recording time comfortable. Just like singing, voicing is best performed when the artist is in a positive mood and feels comfortable.
It would be lovely to hear what voice overs you like - - which movies? I am more interested in that than the technical aspects. Thanks! :)
When you have Morgan Freeman behind the microphone, he could read you the phone book and it would sound good. :)
Here are few films that use voiceover in a way that I like.
-A Clockwork Orange
-Fight Club
-Shawshank Redemption (with Morgan Freeman of course)
Hare are also few voice over skits that everybody has seen, but I'll post them anyway.
