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It’s been a few years since I really overhauled my closet. Not my closet full of audio gear, cables and cords, but my actual clothes closet. The time came this weekend, My husband and I both cleared out piles of clothes that no longer fit properly, no longer represented who we are professionally and socially, and got rid of lots of stuff that had served us well in college but needed to be updated. The piles of clothes we were donating looked like backstock from Old Navy. The thing is, these clothes were great, and they were comfortable and totally “safe.” As in, I could pick any of those t-shirts and wear it to work, wear it on the weekends, pair it with nicer pants and wear it out for dinner or to a family function. Safe is the key word. There’s nothing inherently wrong with being safe in your clothing choice, but there’s value in variety and in having some distinct personality to your wardrobe. When we went shopping, I definitely went outside my easy, safe comfort zone of “sensible” multi-purpose clothes. But the difference in bringing home the new stuff is that I’m excited for the right time to wear each piece. Now there’s individual value to them, because they are different and they don’t fit every occasion.
Here’s where this becomes relevant to voiceovers. Earlier this year, I took a workshop with highly respected voiceover actor and teacher, Pat Fraley. He’s an absolutely amazing teacher and my brain was so full when I left that workshop! One important thing to share that I learned from him was recognizing a safe read, and its value to your voiceovers. “Everyone” is going to do the “safe” read for a spot, if you just hand them copy and tell them to read it. Can you find another, more interesting way to do it that average Joe voiceover isn’t going to think of? How much value could the “same” read have if 20 voice talent are offering that? The bigger idea is to actually think about the copy, think about the feelings, think about the way the dialogue has meaning in that scene, and “act” accordingly. Here again, playing the safe read isn’t wrong, but safe isn’t going to stand out when the client is listening to auditions, and it’s not showing what you personally bring to the role. You’re not enhancing anything on the page.
Safe is just that. Vanilla ice cream in a bowl, or an average plain Old Navy t-shirt. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want, or what the client wants… something easy and comfortable that you don’t have to think about. Safe is playing into a stereotype or a cliche, “sounding blonde” or being the overly excited mom rattling off sale prices. I recognize that sometimes the script as-written won’t work without someone playing the safe role. But there are definitely times to break the boundaries of characters and cliches, think about your read, and do something different.
[Pat Fraley offers more instruction on this and other techniques on his website through downloadable podcasts. Check 'em out!]