The Voiceover Gym Class

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I typically don't use pharmaceutical spots in class, because about half of the copy is describing the side effects. I chose this because it's a good fit for Susan's voice, and I want to make sure she gets lots of time on mic this week after missing last week! We omitted the 30 seconds of side effects from the middle of the spot, and just left the "good part." VO: If your racing thoughts keep you awake, Sleep is here, on the wings of Lunesta. And if you wake up often in the middle of the night, Rest is here, on the wings of Lunesta. Lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep. So you can wake up feeling rested. (The "legal" (side effects) copy is omitted here) Ask your doctor if Lunesta is right for you. Get Lunesta for a zero-dollar co-pay, at Lunesta.com. Sleep well, on the wings of Lunesta.

Can't have a VO class without at least one "DUH read," as I like to call it. I actually chose this spot because the VO's timbre on the "real" spot reminded me of our own Shana's voice quite a bit. The real VO's voice is a bit lower than Shana's...or maybe it just seems that way because her low end is emphasized in processing. I really think it's on purpose, so the range of the VO doesn't compete with the kids singing "Put a smile on your faaaace" in the background in their high kids' register . . . Watch the "real" spot on YouTube and tell me what you think: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECZTIHEDMu4 VO: Want more smiles for your dollar? With Kraft Mac and Cheese, you get 3 bowls for about a dollar. And that's a lot to smile about. Kraft Mac and Cheese. It's the cheesiest. For online savings, and to help donate a million boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese to FeedingAmerica, visit ShareALittleComfort dot com.

• This is a spot where the imagery is more interesting than the copy. As a VO, your job is to give energy to boring copy. • The PLATITUDE OPENING that nobody can disagree with... "To do well, kids need to eat well." No need to convince the audience of this...it's an obvious yes. • The Long Awkward Unrealistic Line with lots of information crammed into it ("Did you know it's the only leading line of kids' cereals . . . " To make it less awkward, make it more spontaneous, like thought. • In this read, you're addressing someone one-on-one at arm's length, putting the performance out in front of you, BEYOND THE MIC. Your read can sound spontaneous and "like thought" and conspiratorial across-the-fence-to-your-neighbor....without being INSIDE YOUR HEAD on something as fun/light/casual as a kids' cereal spot. • "Did you know" means you're talking to ONE PERSON. Listen to Mike's pickups at 14:56 and 15:16. Just a little turn of the dial to make it less announcerish and more matter-of-fact makes it a better and more believable read. VO: To do well, kids need to eat well. And eating well means getting enough whole grain and calcium. And General Mills Big G kids cereals can help. Did you know it's the only leading line of kids cereals with at least 8 grams of whole grain and a good source of calcium? Cereals they already love, like Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Give your kids more of what they need to be their best. Grow up strong with Big G kids cereals.

• Comment On The Action. You're always responding to something on-screen. You're never just existing as a disembodied head in a vacuum...you always have an opinion and point-of-view on the situation. You are reacting to it in real time. We don't get to SEE you in VO, so we have to HEAR your opinion and point-of-view. Go TOO far . . . we'd rather pull you back. Give me the COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST on "the LEADING spray mop." • You can "shrug" without actually walking your pitch up every time . . . that can get a little too singsongy when EVERY line in the spot is a shrug (The REAL VO on this spot falls down that trap.) • "Hairpin turns" or "U-turns" in the copy often happen in the first beat, or transition from first to second beat, when we go from Problem to Solution, and hear the product for the first time. The product/solution line is often a non sequitur...something pretty darn random and unrelated. Instead of being fed that Solution off a teleprompter, let's hear you think of it for yourself. (If you need to pause for a beat, think and PICTURE IT, I can always shorten the pause later in editing...that's what's great about VO. You're not playing to a metronome click, you can go at your own pace.) Give yourself time to think of the product/solution. You can't choreograph it ahead of time--it's got to sound like spontaneous thought. "Come to think of it...this idea just occurred to me..." is always so much more compelling than someone reading a pre-determined script. Put another way: Who's more interesting, A) the guy in the bar who feeds you the same pick-up line you've heard 10 times or B) a guy who makes a wry observation that just popped into his head? Probably B! Now with voiceover, you don't have to be a writer and come up with wry observations on your own...but you get to breathe life and energy into a flat-on-the-page script. Make it your own by making it spontaneous.VO: Every time you clean with the leading spray mop, it costs you. So try Reveal from Rubbermaid. The bottle's refillable – you use whatever cleaner you like. The reuseable microfiber pad cleans deeply – then just toss it in your regular wash. So why waste money on costly refills? Reveal saves you $50 dollars per year. Try Reveal. Only from Rubbermaid.