Voice acting isn’t new. For decades, voice actors have given life to characters and told compelling stories through radio and TV. But with the rise of voice-assisted tools, podcasts, audiobooks, eLearning, and marketing explainer videos, the voice over industry is experiencing exponential growth.
In a world where the options for voice talent are abundant and in high demand, teams without experience may find hiring the right voice artist and recording high-quality voice overs to be challenging. But this group of stellar video voice over examples can help you define your voice over needs. Share them with your team and study the elements that make each voice over project excellent, and then you can aim to replicate these successes in your upcoming project.
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George Clooney’s interview voice over for Nespresso
Actor and film director George Clooney recorded an interview-style voice over for Nespresso’s Reviving Origins program. The goal of the program is to boost coffee production in local economies in regions where conflicts, environmental catastrophes, and fiscal issues have stopped production.
Nespresso flew George Clooney to one of the coffee-growing areas. As a result, he wasn’t just a voice actor narrating a story—he was able to speak about the program from firsthand experience.
While he spoke, the video displayed b-roll shots of him walking the coffee trails to see the program’s impact. His involvement made the voice over sound natural—a trait that listeners often find appealing—as if he were having a conversation with a friend at a coffee shop. While he spoke, the video displayed b-roll shots of him walking the coffee trails.
For your next video, involve your voice artist in your project. For example, if the voice over artist will be explaining your product, send them a sample or show them a demo. Or, if it’s a video about your company culture, introduce them to your mission, values, and team. Your voice talent doesn’t need to be in your video, but when voice artists experience your company’s value proposition, they’re more likely to think of your project as more than just another script read.
Rob Paulsen’s cartoon voice acting for Vanity Fair
Rob Paulsen, an Emmy-award-winning voice actor, has been part of the voice over industry for more than two decades. During a video for Vanity Fair, Paulsen improvises voices for 12 cartoon characters. Note: some language in the video below is not safe for work.
The video shows Rob’s ability to voice characters without receiving a brand profile or detailed script. Instead, he chooses a convincing voice for characters by looking at their pictures, whether it’s for a yellow, tentacled creature or a distinguished older man. Because of his capacity to identify and interpret character traits, he’s capable of recording excellent voice overs for any project.
While amateurs and intermediate-level voice artists won’t likely perform with as little direction as Rob does, you can use his video voice over examples to set up your chosen voice actor for success. First, define your brand’s profile, including a series of qualities and emotions that your voice artist should convey. Then, use a professional search site or a voice talent agency to access the top voice talent your budget allows.
Jon Bailey as “Epic Voice Guy” for Screen Junkies
Jon Bailey is the voice narrator for Screen Junkies’ “Honest Trailers,” an Emmy-nominated YouTube series in which he and his team produce sarcastic movie reviews.
Bailey, known by fans as Epic Voice Guy, started recording for the series at the end of 2012 after one actor left for the military and two didn’t master the parody trailer format the company needed. Bailey did. Now, after 260 Honest Trailers, fans instantly associate Bailey’s voice with the series.
Your listeners will associate your brand with the voice actor you hire, especially if they work with you on multiple projects. So, it’s essential to find one with a style and tone that aligns with your brand.
To do this, write a set of voice characteristics your brand must have, such as a grave, polished voice or a young, cheerful one. Find video voice over examples to fit some of your descriptions and then, schedule auditions where in-house or external voice talent can read a few lines from your script. Finally, with your team, choose the voice over talent that best represents your brand’s voice style.
Brandon’s internal voice talent for Microsoft Enable
Brandon is a team member of Xbox. He recorded a voice over for this animated Vyond video to teach developers how to make their video games more accessible through Microsoft Enable’s products.
Brandon’s explanation is delivered in short lines, allowing developers and non-developers to follow the story even if they’ve never heard of Xbox’s accessibility principles. If Brandon used industry jargon and unclear sentences, the voice overs would be confusing the listeners.
When writing your voice over’s script, ask yourself, “could a novice follow my story or understand this explanation?” If the answer is no, your ideas are either too complex or too convoluted. So, add examples, use simpler words, and trim unnecessary paragraphs from your script.
Aaron Paul’s commercial voice over for Mazda
Aaron Paul, an actor best known for his role as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad, has recorded a series of commercial voice overs for Mazda. In the following example, he is the voice for Aaa Driver’s Life, a commercial that shows how Mazda follows a man through his life’s most meaningful moments.
Aaron records as an omnipresent narrator, modifying his voice based on the milestones in the man’s life. For example, he raises his tone in excitement when the man has a BBQ with his college peers. Then he sounds more soothing when the man is on a road trip with his significant other.
Because of tone variations, the listener receives context of what the man felt during specific scenes, helping them connect with the actor.
A script alone can only go part of the way to convey emotions to your target audience. The right voice over artist can take it the rest of the way. To help your voice over artist hit the right emotional notes, underline scenes in your script where the voice actor should modify their voice to express a feeling. So, for example, if a product launch should excite listeners, tell your voice talent to transmit that excitement.
Nancy Cartwright’s voice acting for The Simpsons
Nancy Cartwright is a veteran voice actress, recording for well-known shows like The Simpsons, Animaniacs, and Rugrats. In the example below, she records lines for her seven Simpsons characters in under a minute.
For the show, Cartwright records the voices of six teenagers and a baby, which means the producers don’t have to hire or direct as many voice actors.
If your video requires multiple voices, say two, hire a voice actor capable of performing both voices (if possible). You’ll save time teaching two different voice actors about your brand and project while also experiencing shorter feedback sessions.
Evans Hankey and Gary Geaves for Apple
Evans Hankey and Gary Geaves are vice presidents of industrial design and acoustics at Apple, respectively. They recorded a voice over for a video introducing Apple’s latest headphones: the AirPods Max.
They aren’t professional voice artists, but they’re two internal experts behind the product, which adds weight to their words. This kind of credibility builds trust, and trust raises the likelihood of purchasing. Apple likely knows this, so they show the technology behind the product, explain it, and clearly describe each feature’s benefit.
Whenever you’re selling a product, describe your product’s use cases and tell people why they should care about what’s on the screen. This simple action will make your listener more confident investing in what you offer.
Use these video voice over examples to inspire your next video
You can increase your voice over’s overall quality by applying these video voice over examples and lessons from seasoned experts. Then, when you are ready to record, choose who will do it: your team or an external professional.
Once you receive your audio file, it’s time to either synchronize your audio and pre-produced video or create it from scratch. With Vyond, an intuitive animated video creation software, anyone can create stories aligned with their brand or ideas. Our platform also lets you add voice overs to communicate with your viewer at a pace, tone, and style you like. See where your creativity can take you with a free 14-day trial of Vyond.
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