The Voiceover!

A voiceover! What is it? A voiceover is a production technique often found in radio, television, film, theatre, presentations, and more, where a voice is added to the medium of choice. We see this in animation, video games, on-hold messages, documentaries, and even LIVE.

But why do we add voiceovers? Have you every shot a video, and the original sound wasn’t audible? Or maybe there was too much wind or extra noise in the background? This is a perfect chance to add a voiceover. If our original sound, especially our own voice, or the voice of others wasn’t able to be heard clearly, we can add our voice or the voice of others back in. A little note: be careful. Adding a voiceover works best when the person originally talking isn’t in the frame. We see this a lot in documentaries. The voice is heard while we are looking at scenery and other background images. This is not the same as trying to re-sink (re-voice) over your existing words while you are in the frame.

So how can we add a voiceover. Whatever editing program you are using, you are going to pull the clip where you want the audio removed down to zero. Again, in our original clip that we don’t want to use the audio, but still want to use the visuals, we are going to pull that clip’s audio down to zero. Then we are going to add our new audio on top of that clip. If you are using an app like InShot, you can record right in the app and then adjust the old and new audio levels. Remember, pull your original audio levels down to zero, and add your new audio on top.

Remember, when doing a voiceover you want to be in a quiet space. Some people prefer closets, some people prefer their car. But a quiet space is key. Invest in a microphone, either a lav or a shotgun mic. You can use your phone, but the microphone will help to isolate your voice.

Again, a voiceover is a great way to add additional audio to your video. Invest in a microphone for your phone. Look for a quiet space. And remember, you can create:

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