0044: How To Use Silence In Your Voice Over Work

Raw transcript:

when you’re getting ready to do an
audition for an on-camera piece or a
voiceover piece
we all tend to think about how we’re
going to say things how we’re how loud
we’re going to be how soft we’re going
to be what character we’re going to use
what the
positive uh
explosion of sound is going to be
out of us
to help build our
audition in a way that makes people want
to
notice it and and consider us
and we often forget what a terrific tool
silence
can be
well we’re going to take a look at that
in this episode of the vo heroes podcast
[Music]
i was reading an article i think it was
in forbes magazine and they quoted
leonardo da vinci uh as saying
nothing strengthens authority
as much as silence
and when you think about all of the the
blustery politicians and leaders and
influencers on social media and
celebrities that scream all the time
that you know they’re saying look at me
look at me with all the stuff that they
say and how loud they are
you wonder
why they don’t take advantage of that
notion
of doing something
that is unexpected
that notion of letting something land
and taking advantage
by using silence
there are some misconceptions about
silence we spend so much time on the
character development and what we’re
going to say and how we’re going to say
it we sometimes forget about silence
because
one of the first misconceptions is we
think that’s weak
if we’re quiet or if we use silence well
then somehow
we’re not as strong as we need to be and
that couldn’t be further from the truth
i mean
silence is one of the most powerful
choices
that we make
when it’s used effectively
when you say something and then just let
it be
when you let it land
when you let it
see the sunlight
and are confident enough to just let
that be what you’re saying
it is one of the most powerful tools we
have it’s anything but weak
we also sometimes tend to think that by
being silent or adding silence or using
silence effectively that it signals that
we’re uncertain about something we
haven’t made our mind up about something
we don’t have enough knowledge about
something or we’re unsure
and
silence actually does the opposite it
increases
other people’s perceptions
about how confident we are about what
we’ve just said it strengthens what
precedes it
now it’s not in every case that this is
the the notion that i want you to take
away from this
there are some times when the character
or the audition requires that you
do so in a way that fills the the room
with sound
but remember that silence is also one of
your choices in the world of graphics
there’s a notion of what’s called
negative space or white space
we’ve all seen graphics that don’t look
quite right because they’re very busy
they don’t have any space for the eye to
rest
and to see contrast and it’s the same
thing in terms of audio with silence
and in fact
the third misconception about this that
it’s a vacuum that needs to be filled
man if we’re not filling that mp3 that
we send off to the voice casting
director or engineer with something then
we’re wasting their time or when we’re
doing an on camera audition
if we’re in the middle of an emotional
scene
and we don’t take the time that the
character would have needed to take
to process what’s going on
if we don’t do that that somehow we’re
wasting the time of the viewer
and again that’s not the truth in fact
here’s a dirty little secret
if you use silence effectively if you
use it appropriately where it needs to
be used and consider it as an option
and you just say something make a
statement and let it land
i used to love you but i don’t
anymore
now some people would want to fill that
in with i’m sorry i don’t i don’t mean
to make you sad i’m sorry but but just
letting it land
people
who are watching your performance or
listening to your performance
they’ll notice the silence and they’ll
stop what they’re doing and lean forward
if anything it will increase
their attention
and i say this because i hear a lot of
people
rushing to fill that vacuum rushing to
fill that void
so that they maintain the attention of
the listener or the
viewer and in many cases it’s just not
necessary the judicious use of silence
is one of the most powerful tools
you can ever use
instead of weakening your statement
with additional you know so um like yeah
that’s yeah so that’s you know
all of these little
stips and stutters and and just to
maintain that connection between what
you’ve said
and what you’re going to say
to have the confidence
to let things land and let them be
is one of the best
strategies tactics that you can develop
to add to your vocal toolkit
when you’re acting
whether you’re on camera or whether
you’re on mic
i’m wondering if this is something that
stresses you out that makes you
frightened i don’t know if i want to
listen to this
thing that david’s talking to this
silence thing i you know i want to get i
want to get my audition out i want to
get my stuff out i want to get it out i
want to get it done
tell me what you think in the comments
below i’d love to know
what
your approach is
to the pacing
and the positive versus negative
content
in your work
whether it’s on camera or whether it’s
on mic let me know in the comments below
if you’re not watching this or listening
to it
over at voheros.com that’s where i’d
like to have the conversation because
everybody’s so nice everybody’s so
lovely there
so voheros.com
however you’re hearing or watching this
podcast i really appreciate it and i
hope that silence makes a difference in
your next audition and the
auditions after that
or in everyday life when you’re just
communicating with people
i’m david h lawrence the 17th i thank
you so much for watching
and for listening
and i will see you in the next episode
of the vo heroes podcast
[Music]

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