You’ve written your voice over for your voice artist. You’ve set up the audio equipment for the voice over for your Modlette. You give the sign to start and away you go recording.
When you get halfway through the first sequence . . .
The voice artist mispronounces a word. Cancel audio, start again.
How many times can this happen?
What do we have to do to have a smooth and efficient audio recording experience? It might take more work but these tips will save you a bucket of frustration and re-records.
The voiceover script should always be separate from the storyboard. This allows the voice artist to focus on the script alone. It also allows you to eliminate tongue twisters, awkward phrasing and long sentences that require the voice artist to go long distances on one breath.
Over the years I’ve made all the mistakes and these tips cover most of the mistakes I’ve made:
- Double-check for errors
All scripts have errors. It would be inaccurate content or a misuse of grammar. Discovery during a recording session slows things down and destroys momentum.
Therefore, go over the script with an eye for detail and read it aloud several times. Every interruption at recording time can lead to an annoyed voice artist.
2. Indicate emphasised words
The voice artist is not a mind reader. How can someone who is not really familiar with the content, read a script with the same inflections I have in mind?
I add emphasis with italics and bold face. To avoid confusion explain what you have used to the voice artist and use the same for the whole script.
3. Provide pronounciation for unusual terms
You can provide the pronunciation in brackets so the voice artist can quickly see the pronunciation. Also point out the tricky ones before you start.
4. Indicate where you need pauses
When writing for eLearning, you may wish to insert pauses in the script, to accommodate graphical changes on the screen, such as animations and progressive reveals.
Using the slide share voice over in Modlettes, the voice over starts when the slide appears. It therefore is important to provide a pause before the voice over starts so the learner can absorb the content in the slide.
5. Insert page numbers
We all know the story about preparing to give a speech and dropping notes on the floor. The embarrassment of not being able to reassemble them quickly.
6. Avoid page turns
Some voice artists will print your script and others read on-line. Either way, organise your document so the reader will not need to turn the page or scroll to the next page in the middle of a sentence or paragraph.
7. Name your audio files
When recording for an eLearning course, I always prepare the script so that the audio segment for each slide is associated with a unique file name.
8. Make it easy for the voice artist
Regardless of whether the script is read online or from a printout, double space the text and use an easy to read typeface so the script is readable.
By following these tips you will make it possible for your voice artist or colleague to provide a very professional voice over to support your eLearning design.
Modlettes makes the complicated simple