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What is a ‘Narrative Style Voice Over’ and why then say: ‘Documentary’ ?
I’m a British Male Voiceover Artist, specialising in these long form styles.
My tone is warm, authentic and engaging. With a 35 year background in Military, Medical and Corporate environments, I bring depth and personality to any Voice for Video, Radio, Audio Drama and interactive content. Please get in touch to discus a project.
I like to make a distinction between Narrative and Documentary voice for video because (for me), they’re subtly different. One is neutral in delivery and the other is emotionally connected.
In a film or video context, the narrative style is the subjective telling of a story from a specific point of view.
Narrative tends to be neutral and factual in delivery. The Narrative Voiceover in video takes the role of an off-screen character, as opposed to an on-screen character.
The narrative voice is the story-telling voice. It serves as a guide for the listener and sets the context, allowing secondary characters to speak for themselves.
In the Narrative style, I usually take the 3rd person, whether in radio or video. A consistent perspective is maintained, whilst keeping an emotionally safe distance from the content.
Where my Documentary style VoiceOver differs from a straight forward narrative style is in its capacity to embrace the narrator’s opinions more and convey emotions with voice. When you hear the spoken commentary of Sir David Attenborough or Brian Cox talking about science, they really convey emotion.
It is yes, whether in TV, radio or internet projects, acting skills are required. I focus on pace, enunciation, dynamic breath control, emotional resonance, inflection and pitch variation. A clear narration from an authoritative voice is the cornerstone of the narrative style.
My warm, approachable, but clear and authoritative voice is a helpful and informative companion to the museum, city, college or theme park visitor. I’ve been a story-teller for historic visitor sights, guided visitors through art exhibitions and used my skills as a character voice actor for talking statues.
Audioguides can be approached in many ways, be it a straight description with a British RP accent, an enthusiastic style or something inspirational that drives an emotional response. What’s most important is a clear delivery.
My background in the Military, Corporate and Healthcare sectors have given me a rounded, experienced and trustworthy tone. The UK Radio, TV and Internet documentary style is hailed around the World for its engaging delivery and I’m happy that my voice is popular with clients in this area. I model my approach to that of Prof Brian Cox and like to emulate his authentic enthusiasm.
Enthusiasm and passion for a subject is infectious and educational content isn’t restricted to eLearning. I’ve voiced narrative explainer videos for in house training, training videos for first aid schools, health and wellness brand videos for international companies, as well as interactive content for museums and science centres.
I enjoy the chance to deliver long form narration for commercial ads on radio, TV and the internet. As part of your marketing, a website can be made to feel more personal with narrative content over animation, as well as the ‘who we are’ and ‘what we do’ story-telling approach. I call on character acting skills for event promo marketing and conference openers, delivering everything from ‘Voice of God’, to ‘Inspirational’ or ‘Deep & Moody’.
I collaborated with the incredible production team at Gulwing to create both a narrative discourse and character testimonies for this informative and educational production. Mixing both narrative and character voices gave the opportunity to shine a light on an over-looked aspect of the First World War.
I narrated educational content for History Junkie for two years, helping them to achieve great acclaim in the historical, factual material genre. Supported by excellent visuals, my role was to convey the script in a documentary style, without being too emotive.
If you have a project that would benefit from a narration that has warmth and an infectious enthusiasm for the subject, click on the link below and let’s discuss how I can help.
