Voice overs are very prevalent in today’s society, whether we’re talking about the film or advertising industry, to the voice overs that help with the smooth running of everyday life.
This post is going to take you through how voice overs are used, and the significant role they play for various purposes.
Voice overs in film
We’ve all watched a movie with a voice over in it. With every great iconic narrator is a captivating voice behind the microphone, whether they’re addressing the audience directly or narrating the main character’s thoughts, voice overs can sometimes make or break a film.
As well as for movies, narrators can also come in handy for other film projects such as nature documentaries, and for your favourite shows. Voice overs can be useful in the film industry for setting the scene, guiding a viewer through the journey.
Remember Charlie and the chocolate factory? What would that film be without a voice over? The same can be said for the iconic movie trailer voice you hear when watching previews, they simply set the scene that the visuals can’t do on their own.
Voice overs in the advertising industry
The advertising industry just wouldn’t be the same without a captivating voice over. Despite the rise in social media, and various other modes of advertising, including billboards, flyers and posters, voice overs make a true difference when it comes to convincing audiences to buy products.
When it comes to brand building, radio advertising is up to 20% more effective than other channels of marketing. This makes sense too, considering that radio only really captivates one sense, in this case hearing, meaning there’s nothing but full attention to what’s being said.
Compared to visual advertising, which tends to combine videography with an audio track, radio advertising is focused solely on using emotive, convincing language, and is pretty much tailored to driving conversions, through nothing more than a convincing voice over and atmospheric soundtrack.
In advertising, whether visual or auditory, the right voice over is key to ensuring the proper message is conveyed.
Voice over in day to day life
You may not notice it, but you hear voice overs in more areas of life than you may think. For instance, whenever you’re in an airport, and you’re hearing the same announcements, that’s likely a pre-recorded voice.
When you call up customer service and you’re met with a pre-recorded voice response system, yep, you guessed it, voice over artists are typically used there too. The original voices for Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant were also based on human voices.
Whether obvious or not, voice overs are used very prevalent in everyday society, helping to make the world more personable.
Why are voice overs important?
Voice overs are essential for guiding people to buying a product or service. Not only are they vital for advertising purposes but also to guide a viewer through a movie or naturistic journey, as well as everyday life.
Without voice over actors we wouldn’t have the iconic Lion King narration from James Earl Jones, “mind the gap” messages when getting off the train, or automated phone response systems.
Love them or hate them, a world without voice overs would certainly be a dull one.
