Who are you Talking to in the Copy?

As a voice actor, you have heard coaches ask you, “Who are you talking to in the copy?”

So, you choose a close friend – and it works in the first few moments but drifts away.

What if I told you that there is someone else to talk to – who is so obvious that most commercial voice actors miss it – YOURSELF. Rather than imagining you are speaking to a “best friend” during your copy read – TALK TO YOURSELF.

Try this: Read this copy externally as though you are talking to someone else who is across the table from you.

“ISN’T THERE A BETTER WAY TO FIND HEALTH INSURANCE?”

Now read the same line – lower your volume – bring up the intensity – and go inside your head and ask yourself this question – TALK TO YOURSELF.

“Isn’t there a better way to find health insurance?”

Doesn’t that feel very different? By internalizing your text – lowering the volume and increasing the intensity- you allow the listener to do the same. Trust the intimacy and use mic technique to let the mic handle the volume.

So, feel free to converse with yourself during your commercial copy reads. Having an internal conversation with yourself – giving yourself advice, asking a question, or internalizing a memory -connects you to yourself, the copy, AND THE LISTENER, who will do the same thing.

All voice acting must go back and forth between internal and external energies. How did reading with internal energy feel to you? Is this something you use normally?

Written by Paul Liberti
Voice Actor and Voice Director for Animation, Audio Books,
and works as Casting Director for Animation, Audio Books, Commercial Voice Over