0735 – Voiceovers For Political Ads

01/05/23 • 2 min

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2023.01.05 – 0735 – Voiceovers For Political Ads

Political ads

These are most common in the US and can be divided into these categories: [1], [2]

· Positive – promoting the attributes of the candidate with an uplifting, aspirational and honest message and tone

· Negative (or ‘comparative’ or ‘attack’ ads) – promoting a candidate by highlighting the perceived mistakes of their opponent, in a voice that can cut through in a critical or concerned, fed-up or bewildered tone. At their most tough and plain speaking, they are called ‘attack ads’.

· The ‘Introduction to the Candidate’ Ad – explains the basic background and ‘qualifications’ of the candidate (businesswoman, ex-cop, headteacher family man, youthful renegade and so on).

· PAC and ‘single issue’ ads - Political ads don’t just represent candidates of political parties. Political Action Committee ads are from special interest groups, lobbyists and concerned residents who highlight concerns – say, pollution, education, gun or birth rights - to support or defeat certain candidates.

[1] An archive of US political commercials: http://politicaladarchive.org/

[2] Adapted from https://www.bluewavevoiceover.com/types-of-political-ads/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.01.05 – 0735 – Voiceovers For Political Ads

Political ads

These are most common in the US and can be divided into these categories: [1], [2]

· Positive – promoting the attributes of the candidate with an uplifting, aspirational and honest message and tone

· The ‘Introduction to the Candidate’ Ad – explains the basic background and ‘qualifications’ of the candidate (businesswoman, ex-cop, headteacher family man, youthful renegade and so on).

[1] An archive of US political commercials: http://politicaladarchive.org/

[2] Adapted from https://www.bluewavevoiceover.com/types-of-political-ads/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

0734 – Movie Trailers Voiceovers

2023.01.04 – 0734 – Movie Trailers Voiceovers

Movie trailers

The ‘god’ of these was the iconic voice of Don LaFontaine who recorded more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. At the height of his career, he was voicing 60 trailers a week. He became identified with the phrase "In a world...", used in so many movie trailers that it became a cliché. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGNqI6RYBrQ

But since his death, styles in this area as in many others have changed to one which is more informal.

Podcasts and Radio

The key skills for an announcer are:

“...the ability to communicate with one person and the ability to grasp the technical side so you can forget it all and concentrate on the primary focus which is the listener. When I started announcing I was told to imagine I was talking to a little old lady in Fulham, south London. The reason was to bear in mind that I was talking to a person that may not necessarily be an avid listener to Radio 4 so I have to tempt them in to get them to listen more carefully. I’ve got to be clear in my delivery as she may be a little hard of hearing and I’ve got to grab her attention.

Two of the prerequisites of an announcer’s equipment are your two ears. It’s easy to get beguiled by the equipment around you, but this is what your listeners are using and what you should be using: your perception of how the sound is, properly balanced, to check monitoring ...”

Chris Aldridge, presenter BBC Radio 4, “Radio: Getting Your Voice on Air” podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

0736 – Key Words to Highlight in Political Ads

2023.01.06 – 0736 – Key Words to Highlight in Political Ads

All styles usually have a script that is clean, clear and sharp, one which has a point of view to catch the attention and emotion of its target audience. Common rhetorical devices will be used such as comparative balances (“the wealthy profited, and we paid”, “while they only care about their family, we care about yours”, “keep your tax dollars in Delaware, not in DC”), alliteration or rhyme (“problem solver, job creator”, “honesty and integrity”) and groups of three: “it’s the backbone of our community, our state and our economy”, “irresponsible, reckless, corrupt”, “our future depends on jobs, jobs and more jobs”). So, look out for these and highlight them as directed.

Key words crop up regularly too, such as “business”, “jobs”, “truth”, and other references to money and accountability, which you will also need to draw attention to.

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