Voice Over Recording

[H.Z.]

Soes, I have a lot of voice-overs in the movie I'm doing, and I am not having any luck getting ahold of an actual recording space... Howevers, I am about to move so my thought was that I would turn one of my bedrooms into a faux-recording space. I know that the main thing I need to do is soundproof as much as possible... but I am assuming that I should deaden the room as much as a can also? obviously I'm going to cover the walls (probably with sound blankets/pretend sound blankets) but would it be a good thing to move my sofas/bed into the room? or would that just weird things?
Thanks!

 

[indietalk]

There's probably plenty of recording studios near you that charge $25/hr. Don't skimp on the sound. You can bang this out for less than $100.

Tell me your city, I'll find a place.

 

[Alcove Audio]

A space 5' x 5' will be okay. Use C-stands and make the "booth" with double layers of sound blankets. The person doing the VO should be standing. The mic 1" to 2" and slightly above and slightly to the left from the speakers mouth. You will get far superior results working with an experienced engineer who has a better ear, better gear and a command of the tools and the process.

Make sure that you do the VO before you start editing. Better yet, read the VO on the set while shooting; this allows for breathing space in your shots. Check out the DVD extras on "Forrest Gump" where the characters even repeat or reinforce the dialog of themselves or others. Most of the VO work was recorded before shooting began and each line was timed so that a camera pan would take a specified time for the VO to play out before centering on a character.

 

[Uranium City]

Check out the Walter Murch book of interviews with Michael Ondaatje, called "The Conversations." There's a great passage where he describes how he directed Martin Sheen for the voice-overs in Apocalypse Now (done after the fact, I believe.) This is a paraphrase, but he told him to speak into the mic as if he were speaking to his lover on the pillow next to him...just above a whisper. Not that this is the effect you are going for; it probably isn't. But I was amazed and inspired by that bit in the book...I never would have guessed at that direction for war movie voice-overs, but it worked.

 

[Alcove Audio]

This is a paraphrase, but he told him to speak into the mic as if he were speaking to his lover on the pillow next to him...just above a whisper.

Standard technique if you want a very intimate VO, as if you are sharing the narrators thoughts. In that situation you "eat the mic", which means with your lips practically touching the mic (or the pop filter with the mic a 1/4" behind that). You pick up a lot more resonance from the chest which makes the voice sound as if it's coming from deep inside metaphorically as well a physically. Most great VO talent - like the late, great Don LaFontaine - don't speak loudly but rely on mic technique and voice control.

A few other things before starting the VO session; no salty foods (dry mouth) or dairy products (phlegm) at least 24 hours prior to the session, have lemons on hand to clear out the mouth, room temperature water (cold water tightens the larynx). Have a music stand to place the script - preferably big type so it can be read at a distance - and a copy of the dialog for the VO engineer. If the film is already edited make sure that the lines fit where you want them to go and be prepared to rewrite. Make sure that the talent stays in character.

 

[indietalk]

All good stuff there, except lemon can aggravate the vocal cords (citric acid). It can also trigger acid reflux. Maybe swish and spit it out.

 

[2001 Productions]

And if you're too cheap (like me) to buy/rent sound blankets, old sleeping bags (the cloth kind, not nylon) do the job, too.