Read The Art of Voice Acting: the art and business of performing for voice over Online
Authors: James Alburger
In voiceover, a
back story
is the specific event that takes place immediately before the first word of copy. It is what the character in the script is responding to. The back story is the reason why your character is saying the words in the script. If the back story is not clearly defined in the script—your job, as an actor, is to make one up! This is a very important aspect of performing from a written script because the back story sets your character’s motivation, attitude, and purpose for speaking.
Acting coaches will often refer to a back story as “the moment before.” Technically, a back story consists of the character’s entire life experience that has brought them to the moment in time for the story in the script. For voiceover work, that’s too much information, and we don’t have the time to deal with a long, involved story leading up to the first word of the script. So, I suggest that you define a back story in specific terms that can be described in a single sentence. It must be something very immediate and powerful that has caused your character to speak. It can’t be a vague description of a scene—it must elicit a specific response.
In some scripts, the back story is pretty obvious. In others, you’ll have to make up something. Either way, the back story is essential to the development of your character. By understanding what brought your character to this moment, you will know how your character should respond. This, in turn will make it much easier for you to sustain your character and effectively communicate your character’s feelings, attitudes, and emotions as he or she interacts with the audience and other characters.
For the following line of copy, make some choices as to the specific event that occurred, or words spoken immediately before this statement, and to which this statement is in response:
Some people think they’re a mistake! But most people think they’re delicious! OK… so they’ve got a big seed and they’re green… Avocado’s are still my favorite fruit. Great in salads… or all by themselves. Get some today.
To discover the back story, look for clues in the script that reveal specific details about what is taking place. Use these clues to create your own idea of what took place
before
the story in the script. This is the essence of your back story, and this is what brought your character to this moment in time.
Here are some possible choices for a back story for the first line:
Any given script may have several opportunities for a back story— possibly for every line. For each of those back story opportunities a very short phrase or one-word lead-in may help to
bridge
lines of copy to help add reality to the delivery. When you bridge lines of a script in this way, what you are actually doing is adding a thought process to your performance, which is a direct reflection of how our minds really work when we are having a conversation. For example, a bridging back story for the line “OK… so they’ve got a big seed and they’re green…” might be this: The person you are speaking to says “I’ve heard avocados have a huge seed!” Obviously, we don’t have time to actually verbalize or deal with these bridge lines in real time. Simply writing the word or phrase on your script or holding it in your imagination will usually be enough to trigger the thought process and thus create a sense of reality.
One way to use a back story to your advantage is to create a
lead-in line
, or
pre-sentence
. This is simply a verbalization of the back story to assist you in creating a believable response. For example, if you are speaking to someone who has never seen an avocado before you might create a lead-in line like: “So… you’ve never seen an avocado before? Well…” and then begin the script. A lead-in line is not intended to be spoken out loud, but, rather, should be said silently to set up the intonation and attitude of the words that will be spoken.
Each of these choices will have a different affect on your approach to the performance, including intonation, rate of delivery, attitude, dynamics, and underlying meaning (or subtext). As with the other choices you’ll be making, one of these may be more suitable than the others. The only way you’ll know which choice works best is to test them. When you make a choice, commit to it until you determine (or are given direction) that the choice needs to be adjusted or changed.
Who are you as the speaker of those words on the paper? Define your character in as much detail as you like. How does your character dress? What does the character’s voice sound like? Does the character speak with an accent, dialect, or have any speaking quirks? Does the character exhibit any sort of attitude or personality quirks? How does the character move? How does the character think? What is the character’s lifestyle? How does the character interact with other characters in the story, known or unknown? In what ways does the character respond to events that take place during the telling of the story? How does the character feel about the product, service, or subject of the script? The more details you can come up with, the more believable your character will be to you and to your audience. Every script has a character, regardless of how poorly the script may be written or what the content of the script may be. Your job is to find that character and give it life.
Just as in life, scripted characters have feelings and experience emotions about the stories they tell. And, just as in life, characters respond, evolve, and express emotions during the course of their stories. Learn how to reveal those emotions and feelings through your voice and you will create believable characters.
Chapter 10
, “The Character in the Copy,” will explain many ways for you to do this, and you will find additional tools for creating and documenting characters in
Chapter 13
, “Character Copy.”
For the following line of copy, make some choices that will clearly define and describe the person speaking:
Some people think they’re a mistake! But most people think they’re delicious! OK… so they’ve got a big seed and they’re green… Avocado’s are still my favorite fruit. Great in salads… or all by themselves. Get some today.
Here are some possibilities for the character speaking these words:
As with the other choices you make, your choice and definition of the character you are playing will have an impact on every aspect of your performance. Your other choices may affect your choice of character, and, of course, your choice of the character may require that you adjust some or all of your other choices.
All characters have wants and needs! Theatrical actors will refer to this aspect of character development as the character’s
objectives
or
intentions
.
Desires, objectives
, and
intentions
all refer to what your character ultimately wants as a result of his or her words and actions. Use whichever term works best for you, but for the purpose of this alphabetical mnemonic, “D” for
desires
works best. A-B-C-O, just doesn’t seem right!
The character always wants something very specific from speaking the words. It may be simply to enlighten the listener with a valuable piece of information, it may be to entertain, or it may be to instruct the listener in the fine points of operating a complex piece of machinery. Whatever it may be, your character wants, needs, and desires to accomplish something from speaking those words. If that desire is not clearly explained in the context of the script—use whatever information is available to make it up.
Here’s a quick test: What does the character in the following script want and need (desire) as a result of speaking these words? Come up with some choices of your own before reading further. No fair cheating.
Some people think they’re a mistake! But most people think they’re delicious! OK… so they’ve got a big seed and they’re green… Avocado’s are still my favorite fruit. Great in salads… or all by themselves. Get some today.
Here are some possibilities for the character’s desires and the words that might be clues to the ultimate desire:
As you can see, there are many possibilities. There is really no single, correct way to interpret or deliver any piece of copy. As an actor, you need to make a choice as to what might be the most appropriate message that your character wants to communicate. And there may be more than one. As with your other choices, the only way you will know what works best is to test them when rehearsing the copy.
There are no wrong choices. But there are choices that may be more effective than others in terms of communicating the message. One key to choosing your character’s desires is to consider the interaction between your character and the one-person audience. Also, be wary of choosing a desire of “selling.” People love to buy, but they hate to be “sold.” Choosing a desire of helping by providing important information that allows the listener to make an educated decision to buy will almost always be best.
Voice acting comes from your entire body. If only your mouth is moving, that’s all anyone will hear
.
1
Cory Burton
There are three levels of energy in every performance: psychological energy, physical energy, and emotional energy. All three must be present. Leave one of these out and your character will lack a sense of truth and honesty.
Think back to a time when you said one thing, but what you really meant was something else entirely—and the person you were speaking to somehow knew exactly what you meant. We’ve all done this at one time or another. In fact, this is the basis of all sarcasm. The thought you hold in your head can directly affect the way the words come out of your mouth.
Try this: Say the phrase “That’s a really nice hat.” You most likely just spoke the words without any objective, intention, or desire, so it probably sounded pretty flat and uninteresting. Now hold the thought in your head that the hat you’re looking at is the most incredible hat you’ve ever seen, and on the person you’re talking to, it looks amazing! You want them to know how excited and happy you are that they have found a “look” that works for them. Say the phrase again and notice how different it sounds.
“That’s a really nice hat.”
Now, change the thought in your imagination to be that you are very jealous to see the other person wearing a hat that is exactly like your favorite hat. Your desire is to outwardly compliment them on their hat, but on the inside you really don’t think it looks very good (even if it does). You’re not happy, and you want them to know it without really saying it.
“That’s a really nice hat.”
The words are exactly the same in both situations, but the thoughts you held in your mind were different. The result is that the perceived meaning of the words is different.
In theater, the term
subtext
is used to refer to the underlying personality, and unspoken thoughts of a character that define the character’s behavior and reveal what they really believe.
Psychological energy
is simply another way to understand
subtext
.
Psychological energy is a powerful concept when applied to voice acting. In voiceover, the sound of our voice is all we have to communicate the message in a script, and we need to use every tool available to create a believable reality. Applying psychological energy to a performance allows you to emulate the thought process of your character, which in turn allows the words to sound honest, real, and authentic.
The trick to using psychological energy properly is to keep the true belief just under the surface and to not reveal it during the performance, except through subtle intonation and behavior. By keeping the true belief hidden behind the words, it allows other characters to respond more appropriately, and it keeps the audience curious. This is especially important if the true meaning is in direct opposition to the textual meaning.
Although the concept of psychological energy may sound relatively simple, putting it to work as part of a voiceover performance may take some practice. Once you’ve mastered this aspect of a performance you’ll be well on your way to creating consistently believable characters and highly effective performances.
Physicalize the moment… and your voice will follow.
Bob Bergen (based on teachings of Daws Butler)
I think it’s pretty safe to say that when you are in conversation with someone, you are not standing or sitting perfectly still, without moving. OK, maybe some of you reading this don’t move, but most people use much more than just their mouth when talking. Facial expressions, body language, physical movement, and gestures are all part of the way we communicate when speaking to others. I’ll bet you move your body even when you’re talking on the phone.
Have you ever noticed that your physical movements are a big part of the way you speak? You use
physical energy
to give power to the thoughts and emotions that lay just under the surface of the words you speak.
Physical energy is absolutely essential in any voiceover performance. When you move your body with appropriate energy to support the emotions and thoughts of the words you speak, the result can be a totally believable performance.
A mistake many beginning voice actors make is that they will stand perfectly still and stiff-as-a-board when they are in front of a microphone. Their hands will hang at their sides and their faces will show no expression. Their performance will be flat and uninteresting, with often an almost monotone delivery. Once they start moving, everything changes. Words come to life, we can hear how the character feels, and we are actually drawn in to the drama of the story.
Unfortunately, for some, the idea of putting physical movement to words while reading from a script is much like walking and chewing gum at the same time—it can be a challenge to learn how to do it. Fortunately, it is an easily acquired skill. Usually, lack of movement is the result of nervousness or comes from a feeling of discomfort from being in an unfamiliar environment (often called “mic fright”). But the simple truth in voice acting is that you must move. It is one element of a performance that is essential to creating compelling and believable characters.
Life will give you what you need Situations are your tools.
2
Christina Fasano
Understanding how your character feels about an event, situation, thing, product, or person is an aspect of
subtext
. Your character’s emotional energy is different from psychological energy in that psychological energy deals with the thoughts behind the words, whereas
emotional energy
is the expression of the feelings and emotions that underscore the thoughts. The two go hand in hand.
Using the hat example, consider how your character feels emotionally about the discovery that someone else has the exact same hat they have— and that they look great wearing it. Your character might feel devastated, frustrated, angry, happy, proud, or even excited. A full range of emotions is possible, but the most appropriate emotion will be determined by looking at the overall context of the story—understanding the big picture. Based on your choices as to how your character behaves and speaks within the context of the whole story, you will better understand the how and why of the character’s feelings and emotional responses.
Keep in mind, that as actors, our job is to create a sense of reality, so any expression of emotion that is
over-the-top
might destroy any chance of believability. The best way to use emotional energy is to keep the emotions just under the surface. Start by allowing yourself to remember how you felt in a similar situation, and then base your performance from that feeling. By using a personal experience the emotional response will have truth and honesty, which will support the thoughts held in your imagination, which will result in an authentic and believable performance.
The essence of how the three levels of energy affect your performance can be summed up as:
For the following line of copy, make some choices as to how your character might think (psychological energy), how he/she might move and where tension is held in the body while talking (physical energy), and how he/she feels about the subject (emotional energy).
Some people think they’re a mistake! But most people think they’re delicious! OK… so they’ve got a big seed and they’re green… Avocado’s are still my favorite fruit. Great in salads… or all by themselves. Get some today.