Welcome to our virtual classroom. Here, you'll learn something about voice over, practice that skill, get feedback, and learn to perfect it. You'll not only learn by doing; you'll learn from the experiences of your virtual classmates. That's because just like in a physical classroom, you'll hear their reads and see their feedback too.
Lessons will include all aspects of voice work, including Narration, Commercials, Characters, and more. Our first lesson covers Deciphering Difficult Scripts, and next, we'll explore the wacky world of Creating A Character Voice. If you have a topic you'd like to see covered, let us know ... we'll start planning it right away. Meanwhile, get out your pencils, microphones and warm up your voice...because class is now in session.
Deciphering Difficult Scripts
By
Mary Windishar
What's the wordiest sentence you've ever read? Here's what I tackled recently:
"Meanwhile, The Agency for Information Systems and Information Technologies Support (APIS IT) in the Republic of Croatia used IBM Rational software to identify security issues that might adversely affect a Web 2.0-based online voting system that was designed to support a democratic process no matter where in the world a citizen happens to be."
Ok, now breathe...and then, let's figure out how to do more than just survive this script!
One of the first things you need to do is the first thing I mentioned...find places to breathe. So...chat me with your ideas about how to break this sentence up. Not re-write it...we mere mortals aren't allowed to do that! Just identify where you think phrases end...and where you might pause for a breath. Cut and paste the sentence...and add punctuation that would help the sentence make more sense. Then add it into the chat box below. As soon as we get 2 chats, the lesson will continue. PLEASE NOTE:-
You may get an error message after you enter your chat. Check to see if your chat went in anyway -- it usually does.
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It's never to late to join the lesson. We'll check for new chats and give you feedback, even if the lesson has continued.
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Scroll below the chats to see if the lesson has continued to the next part.
Customer Comments
Most Helpful Customer Comments
Dear Mac1mac...
Perfect! You've chosen places to breathe (and rest) that actually help the listener make sense of this confusing sentence. Now move on to the exercise below all the chats.
"Meanwhile, The Agency for Information Systems and Information Technologies Support (APIS IT) in the Republic of Croatia (breath) used IBM Rational software to identify security issues that might adversely affect a Web 2.0-based online voting system (breath) that was designed to support a democratic process no matter where in the world a citizen happens to be."
Dear Colbysa:
Your first breath is placed perfectly. I'm a little nervous about taking a breath after the word "affect" because it will interrupt the thought about adversely affecting the voting system. You're also correct to breathe before "no matter." Do you think you can make it all the way from "Croatia" to "no matter"? Just so you know, you can take a huge breath...and we can edit it out. If not, where could you breath in between that wouldn't interrupt the thought?
Dear "L", thanks for being the first to comment!
I think your breaths might be better placed if you thought of them as punctuation. The 2nd one you've got there is a good example of that. The thought changes slightly after "(APIS IT)" so you could pause for a breath as you add new information (i.e. where is this agency?) With that in mind, you could also do without the one after issues, right?
Meanwhile, The Agency for Information Systems and Information Technologies Support (APIS IT) in the Republic of Croatia [Breath] used IBM Rational software to identify security issues that might adversely affect [Breath]a Web 2.0-based online voting system that was designed to support a democratic process [Breath] no matter where in the world a citizen happens to be.
Meanwhile, The Agency for Information Systems(breath) and Information Technologies Support (APIS IT)(breath) in the Republic of Croatia used IBM Rational software to identify security issues(breath) that might adversely affect a Web 2.0-based online voting system(breath) that was designed to support a democratic process(breath) no matter where in the world a citizen happens to be."
Great job. Here's how I tamed that puppy…and I did it with punctuation instead of with the word "breath," just because I might get distracted with something other than the actual copy… "Meanwhile, The Agency for Information Systems and Information Technologies Support (or APIS IT,) in the Republic of Croatia, used IBM Rational software to … identify security issues that might adversely affect a Web 2.0-based "online voting system" that was designed to support a democratic process … no matter where in the world a citizen happens to be." Adding those pauses not only helped me get through the sentence without turning blue, it also helped me understand its meaning. Consider the following words: "Change management." Give me three different reads of these words. Cut an mp3 file with your interpretations, slate it, and email it to this address: ivcfeedback@gmail.com.
I'll upload the selections here as soon as you send them, and give you some feedback too. The lesson will continue after we get at least 2 mp3 files.
Here is the first mp3 file -- it is from Darryl. Give it a listen.
Thanks Darryl! You did 3 very different reads of this; impressive. They are all different, and all good. Darryl said his goal was to do: "authoritative, narration, and questioning." Did you notice how the meaning of the phrase changed with each of the reads? Not just its meaning, but its usage. In other words, in the 2nd read, the phrase became a command. In the 1st read, it was a "thing." And in the 3rd read, the phrase was not only a question, but it was asking about doing something. I'll stop there, because I'm hoping others will also submit their reads. But can you see what I'm trying to get you to notice about the choices you have when you read this copy? Here's a submission from Cindi.
Before you read what Cindi's goals were (which she accomplished quite nicely) listen again to the difference between the 1st and 2nd read. In the first read, the phrase becomes a "thing." In the 2nd read, the phrase is about an action...the act of changing management. More about that after Cindi's critique. Now listen to how well Cindi met her goals which were: -
"...the first is an 'ah-ha' good-idea moment. -
the second is 'oh no, she's my best friend, and she looks away when i come in late... -
the third is 'i hate her anyway, and i'm the next in line'... ;-)
All that heart and commitment came through loud and clear Cindi -- you've shown clearly how powerful preparation can be. Both Darryl and Cindi took this copy on by deciding upon a tone to read with. And it's always good to decide who you're speaking to and why you're saying what you're saying. But when the words are confusing, it may take more that -- especially in narration. So let's get back to the goal of this lesson, which is to provide help when you're faced with difficult copy. Think about the sentence "Hurt people hurt people." I heard this on a news broadcast recently. You have to decipher which "hurt" is an adjective, and which is a verb. Or is it a noun? Once you know, you'll know how to interpret the sentence. With "Change Management," the read will vary based on whether the word "change" is a noun or a verb. If it's a noun, you're talking about managing the process of change. If it's a verb, you're talking about needing a new boss. Congrats to you if you tried it both ways. The moral of this story is that you don't need to understand the fine details of every script you read…especially if you know some grammar. Identifying the noun and verb in each sentence is a great start, and then just figure out how everything else in the sentence relates to them. Now, let's look again at the difficult sentence from above.
"Meanwhile, The Agency for Information Systems and Information Technologies Support (APIS IT) in the Republic of Croatia used IBM Rational software to identify security issues that might adversely affect a Web 2.0-based online voting system that was designed to support a democratic process no matter where in the world a citizen happens to be." So, the noun, or subject, of our favorite sentence is "The Agency for Information Systems and Information Techonologies Support." Huge noun -- that's partly why it's so challenging! The main verb is "used." It's not "to identify," or "to support," or "designed;" although those are also verbs -- just not the main verbs in this particular sentence. The key to correctly interpreting this sentence revolves around isolating the words "The Agency used..." If you know they are the focal point, because they are the subject and the action, you can use them to inform how to read the rest of the words in the sentence. For example...if you ask "what else can I call this agency?" you know how to read the answer, which is: APIS IT. Where is this agency? Croatia. What did they use? IBM Rational software. Why? To identify security issues. What might these issues do? "…might adversely affect a Web 2.0-based on-line voting system" … you get the idea. You don't need to know what Rational software is, you don't need to know what a "Web 2.0" is, you just need to know how those words relate to the main subject and action in this beast of a sentence! Unless… Here's another approach if you're fighting the grammar lesson. You can also ask the question "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Because knowing that IBM Rational software is the product being touted in this narration will tell you that it is indeed a good thing! And, knowing that "Web 2.0" infers that the voting system is rather new, tells you that it's also a good thing…which "no matter where in the world a citizen happens to be," is as well. Ask away…even if you ask your Aunt Google. So, pull this beast of a sentence apart yourself! Pick at its bones, use your x-ray vision on it and make it your own. Once you've got it whimpering in the corner, record it and send it to us. One version please, on an mp3 file with a slate, and email it to this address: ivcfeedback@gmail.com. I'll upload the selections here as soon as you send them, and give you some feedback too. The lesson will continue after we get at least 2 mp3 files. This just in: Here's Cindi's file:
Really nice work Cindi. For starters, your tone is right on -- informative, credible, relaxed. That's due to your pace and the fact that your volume is just right. I like the way you emphasized the word "used." It brings the listener back to the topic at hand. And the fact that we hear you take a breath before the word "used" -- that refocuses the listener, not to mention sustains your life. Good choice for all the right reasons. I think you edited the phrase "in the Republic of Croatia" just a little too tightly before that phrase...it needed another beat. Additionally, I was impressed with how you related "that was designed to support a democratic process" back to the "voting system." Here's the thing...when faced with a passage of this complexity, it's tempting to just try to read without making a mistake! But you took it to the next level by making sense of all this verbage, by relating each phrase to the one in the sentence it went with. Cindi asked whether she should use the letters, or make "APIS" a word. The intention was that you say "ape-is." What I've learned is that if I can "make a word" it is usually done...but I had to find out whether it was "ape-is" or "ah-pis," myself. Don't be afraid to ask your producer -- ever! Thanks to Cindi for going first -- now, who's next?! Send your mp3 file with one take to ivcfeedback@gmail.com.
Lee Slimm is back with his read. And a good one it is! Check it out...it's got great pacing, understanding of the material, and is relaxed and conversational. All that adds up to credibility. The read sounds professional and has authority because Lee has the confidence to pause so that the listener can catch up with him, he relates the pieces of what he's reading to other parts in the sentence, and he treats the listener as an equal by not preaching or condescending. Instead he used his relaxed approach, which exudes his (seeming) belief that anyone can understand this material. Great work. Thanks to everyone who participated in this lesson: Mac1Mac, Colbysa, Darryl, Cindi (twice!) and LSlimm (also twice.)
In the end, no matter how gorgeous your voice is, if you use it to merely survive difficult copy like this, you'll never be better than robotic. Producer and directors value the talent who can bring copy like this alive, who help the listener follow and understand it, and who make it sound easy. Taking the time to find the relationships in difficult copy always pays off … in praise, future bookings, and the satisfaction of besting beastly scripts!
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Who's Who at IVC
Where to Breathe?, November 22, 2011