Narration Voice Over
What is Voice Over Narration
What is narration in a voice over artist context? Narration is by far the largest kind of work you may hear a voice over actor do. Narration includes the voice you hear guiding you through on a documentary, a TV show, a video on a website. Voice over narration is also all around you. In stores, elevators, amusement parks, in conferences, presented during meetings, on your apps, in audiobooks, on YouTube, in podcasts, at award ceremonies, in museums, in subway systems and more. In fact, for most voice actors 60-90% of their voice work comes from narrations.
Narration is primarily a recorded voice transmitting a message or telling a story where the primary goal is not directly selling something. However, some narration is used to market or promote goods and services. Sometimes narration accompanies video and sometimes it doesn’t. It can tell a story, be instructional, guide, entertain or explain.
What makes great voice over narration? Essentially, a voice over artist who knows how to break down messages within the script or story and deliver it so the listener really “gets it.” That requires more than a pretty voice. It takes artistry and acting chops. Being able to break down and analyze a script. Understanding how to adjust the delivery to make it fit the genre and rise above the din of everything else that competes for the listener’s attention.
Narration style is not a one-size-fits all delivery. Some projects call for a breezy conversational tone, like a how it works or who we are website video. Some narrations call for authority or inspiration, like those heard at a corporations annual general meeting or annual review. Some call for drama, like interactive aspects of a mob museum tour or a self-guided haunted tour of a city. In other narrations clarity is key, like in product videos or instructions of assembly.
While we often think of narration as big, like the classic unravelling of the story as told by Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption, most professional voice actors thrive by performing smaller works, at top notch quality, for much less money than Morgan and are also a lot easier to access. They’ll keep your viewer or listener engaged and interested.
A professional voice over artist, like me, works in a multitude of narration genres, makes your specific narration sound exceptional and delivers your files quickly, on budget and on time. I have delivered hundreds of narrations in voice over. Got a narration project you’d like performed? Book me for your next project or contact me for a quote or a sample.
