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Voice Over Training Articles
Pacing Your Read: Fast, Medium Or Slow - How To Deliver On Time
By Stew Crossen
Learn how to set your pace.
Pace is simply the rate of speed at
which we speak. Proper pacing is a fundamental skill for voice
work. All to often, a new voice actor will read much too slowly,
simply because they haven't learned the fundamentals of pacing.
Reading a script to slow, or too fast, is a huge sign that
says, "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING" and its something
to avoid.
Certainly, there are times when you may need to rush a part, such as a legal disclaimer
or with very dense copy. There may also be a need to speak slowly, perhaps to create a mood. Generally speaking,
younger characters talk faster than older characters. Talking fast might convey enthusiasm, excitement or even confusion,
while a slower pace might convey seriousness, maturity or even ignorance.
When given a piece of copy that contains a defined
number of words, to be delivered in a defined time frame,
you should take a moment to calculate and determine
your pacing.
When doing commercials or other short form
reads, a veteran voice actor will instinctively know how to
pace their speech, just by looking at the copy. It's common
for an experienced voice actor to actually count the number
of words in the script, to establish a feel of the pace
before they begin reading.
So how does a new voice actor learn and practice this skill? Simple. A normal, commercial rate is
between 100 and 200 words per minute. Think of it this way; slow, medium and fast, with 100 words per minute being slow,
150 words being medium and 200 words being fast. Establishing these benchmarks, gives you a platform to work from.
Try it out for yourself. Grab a magazine or newspaper and count out 100, 150 and 200 words. Then with
a stopwatch or minute hand, read the 100 words (out loud of course) and observe how you do. Were you too slow or too fast?
Adjust your pace and try it again. Now try the 150 and 200 words. It takes some time to get used to, however with a
little practice, you'll learn to adjust your pace, and to deliver a read right on time.
By using a stopwatch and experimenting with different copy density, you should be able to quickly
get a feel for how to adjust your pacing. Also, using an inexpensive recording device, such as a cassette or
micro-cassette will enable you to actually hear the differences between a slow, medium and fast read.
Once you understand and establish the fundamental pace of a read, you can move on to creating volume,
pitch, personality and attitude in the script.
Here's a tip: Try reading this article out loud. With a good steady and listenable pace, you should
be able to bring it in at about three minutes.
Check out our ebook Getting Started in Voice-Overs, the
Ultimate Beginners Guide for more information about voice overs.
Pro Voice Over Training & Audio Production Services
Commercials & narrations for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
We also offer private voice over training for
Radio Announcers, Voice Actors, Speakers, Educators, Poets, Business
Professionals and anyone interested in improving their vocal
skills.
Call or for voice-over information.
Stew "Beef Stew" Crossen
860.871.7515
Daily 10am to 8pm, east coast
Connect with Stew on:
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Member:
Connecticut Broadcasters Association
Connecticut Production Coalition
Hartford Radio History
Media Communications Assoc. Int. / CT Chapter
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