To record a voiceover or not…?
Voiceovers are typically the bit of a filming day that people are most worried about. So, to record a voiceover, or not record a voiceover, that is the question I am going to be answering on the blog today…
I have created films for different clients both with & without voiceovers and they all beautifully tell the story of each brand.
A voiceover isn’t the be all and end all of a film, but if you are on the fence about recording one, I want to show you how they can transform a film and add a special extra piece to your brand story.
Lets do a quick comparison…
The first film below has no voiceover, only a selection of moving imagery set to music. The film is a beautiful snapshot of the brand Copper & Moss Botanics and shows us how Hannah (the owner of Copper & Moss) creates her signature products. Hannah shows us some of the behind the scenes, all the way from the starting point of sowing flower seeds to creating a finished bouquet of flowers for her customers. The music helps take the viewer from the very start to end of the story, working alongside the imagery to carry the story forward.
The Copper & Moss film could most definitely be viewed as you see it here, without a voiceover, as I really believe that the story of a grandfather & a granddaughter is strong enough visually for the viewer to be able to see what inspires Hannah every day.
And now the second film, this is the same subject but with a voiceover and ambient sound.
Listen to Hannah’s words as she talks about what inspires her, hear Hannah’s grandfather Basil briefly speak as well. Not only do these voiceover clips add a layer of emotion whilst also providing a little piece of context, they really help elevate the story that the moving imagery is already telling.
The film is beautiful without their voices, but for me once you watch it a second time and you hear Hannah & Basil’s voices intertwined alongside the moving imagery & the sounds of the birds chirping, it really hits you what this brand is all about.
Hannah herself tells us why she does what she does, and in doing so it leaves you with a really lovely feeling of the importance of what and who inspire us everyday.
So there we have it, a quick comparison of a film with and without a voiceover. Hopefully that helps you see (& hear) how a voiceover can impact a storytelling film in a positive way.
And if this has inspired you to want to record a voiceover for your film but you still have a few worries, let me help alleviate those a little more for you;
I will be there to guide you through the entire process, you won’t be doing it alone. I provide simple interview style questions ahead of our filming day so that you can have a think about things before I put a microphone in front of you. A voiceover sounds more natural when you aren't reading from a script so the interview examples are there to get you thinking about what you want to talk about (& what you don’t want to talk about).
I am there to help you, tell your people, about you & your brand. I will be working alongside you to bring out the best snippets of your own voice telling your own story. No one can do that better than you, but I can just help find those bits of gold that lift up your story.
So to record a voiceover or not…what do you think now?
