Use a voiceover, already
Why do so many news Web sites use full-screen text instead of voiceover narration for video and slide shows? Angela Grant, multimedia producer at the San Antonio Express-News, believes “producers are afraid of using voiceovers because they are ‘like TV.’” Her rant at NewsVideographer.com is right on the money. “For god’s sake,” she writes, “don’t let a fear of ‘being like TV’ stop you from telling your stories in the most effective means available.” Responses to her post raised other reasons producers avoid VOs: lack of audio skills, no quiet place to record, and not liking the sound of your own voice. My answers: learn, find one, and get used to it.
Filed under: 06. Visual Storytelling, 08. Producing for the Web, 10. Delivering the News
“… learn, find one, and get used to it.”
Very good advice!
Thanks, Angela. The truth is it’s not that hard to learn how to record a narration. Most software programs have their own “how to” explanations, and you can find plenty of easy-to-follow tutorials if you just search online. Need quiet? Try recording your narration in a car; upholstered seats do a fine job of deadening sound. The “sound of your voice” problem is a little trickier. Sometimes it’s just a matter of perception and you can get used to what you sound like just by listening back to your narrations. If you have speech problems, that’s a different issue, but most of us don’t. Honest.