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 |
Advancing the Story 
“… 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.