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The act of narrating a story is an extremely demanding task. In the context of a specific kind of voiceover, narration involves telling the story in accordance with the screen’s content. Narration is most commonly used for entertainment, whereas non-narration voiceovers are mostly used in education or instructional/informative videos.
If it’s a tragic or a love story, each story is unique in its method of telling it. The story must not just engage the audience but also spark interest in them. For instance, narrating an action story that isn’t getting any reaction from the audience (fear or curiosity) can result in an increased bounce rate for video, i.e., more viewers are likely to abandon a film due to the low quality of the audio.
A great story is an amalgamation of both visually captivating elements on screen and a fantastic voiceover that can help people comprehend what’s being presented. With the increasing popularity of audiobooks, there’s a rising demand for top-quality Audiobook voice actors to give a greater understanding of an audiobook.
In addition, for a better understanding of what is considered to be excellent storytelling, please take a look at my blog about the top audiobooks that are available online today.
How to Narrate a Story: Skills Needed for Good Storytelling
To be a professional in narration, it is necessary to acquire a few basic skills. The narration of a story is not just based on the script but also on how you choose to present the story. Each narration has its method of telling a story, dependent on the subject. However, the basic premise remains the same and encompasses the following vocal capabilities.
Accurate Articulation and Clear Pronunciation
When telling a story, it’s essential to have a clear pronunciation and pronounce each word and phrase properly. Being sure what you’re saying will be heard by your audience is the most important factor. Be careful not to over or under-articulate, as it can make your words or phrases appear unnatural or strenuous. Make sure you keep a consistent flow from beginning to finish and that there’s very little or no sound from your mouth.
Ability to Control Emotions
The plot of a novel could contain a variety of scenes and characters that have different emotions and feelings. This can make it challenging to strike the right balance. But a skilled actor knows how to manage emotions efficiently. Stability is the principle you must adhere to, which helps you manage your feelings when you are in character and keep calm while speaking.
Being Expressive and Coherent
To engage listeners, a narrator who is a great performer must be expressive. Based on the character you are portraying, it is essential to express emotions of happiness, joy, and sadness calmly and genuinely that resonate with the audience. Being nervous or shy could make you appear disconnected from your audience. Therefore, you must be confident and coherent in order to keep a great synergy that will help you get your message in front of the audience.
Instinctive Pausing
Another thing to master while narrating an account is the ability to pause naturally. The right time to wait between sentences helps your audience grasp the meaning more easily. It assists them in keeping up, particularly when the story is developing quickly. It also adds an authentic human-like touch to the narration and adds a unique element to the narrative.
Maintaining a Steady Recital Voice
If a tale is lengthy and takes a couple of days to be completed, the story may cause a strain on the voice of the narration and impact the quality of the narration. Narration for stories should maintain a consistent flow in order to be authentic. Therefore, keeping an even voice throughout the narration is a skill that the best narrator should learn to develop.
Be aware of the right time to use accents
A lot of narrators employ accents in order to convey the authenticity of the characters and to make them more intriguing. But, it can backfire a few times as the accent can sound fake and make the listeners lose interest in the story. Thus, being aware of when and where to use accents is also an important skill for a storytelling/audiobook/radio voiceover artist.
Heedful Use of Humour
Even the most gruesome or dark stories require a bit of humor to add an element of excitement and provide a breath of fresh air for the viewers. You’ve probably heard the expression “Humour sells, “as it’s the most effective method to get your audience engaged.
Bring Characters to Life Through Voice
Characterization is a crucial aspect of the plot. The ability to give life to a character aids in the development of the story. Every character needs to possess a distinct tone, appearance, behavior, and attitude based on their personality. Observing your surroundings and noticing important traits that share an equivalence to your character, particularly from the third-person perspective, can assist.
Get to Know the Story Beforehand and Practice
Knowing the material that you’re presenting is crucial. While telling the story, it must appear natural and like you are recounting your own experience. Additionally, practicing the tale a few times prior to the recording will aid in getting the pronunciation and diction correct and eliminate the chance of making mistakes later.
Record a Demo
After having considered all of the above aspects, if you are ready, record an example. This will allow you to determine what needs to be improved immediately. It can also help you observe your voice from the perspective of an audience, as well as make any necessary adjustments in your tone, pitch, and delivery.
Types of Narrator Voice
When narrating stories, there are many different types of narration voices you could have to use. This can be somewhat challenging for those who are new to this since the voice of the narrator is largely determined by the script or viewpoint of the protagonist. The kind of voice you select will also affect how you tell the story and is crucial to engaging your viewers. Agents also define the tone you want to portray in your protagonist.
1. First-person: In this form of narration, the story is told through the point of view. In this case, first-person pronouns are employed, like “I” and “We.” This perspective helps create a sense of comfort between the viewers and the main character in the story.
2. Second-Person: Here, the pronouns ‘You’ as well as”Your” are employed. The narrator, in this instance, suggests that the story or events are dependent on the audience of the story. This kind of storytelling can be attractive to an audience because it incorporates individual approaches throughout the story.
3. Third-person: This is a way of presenting the characters of the story through pronouns such as ‘he,” she, and ‘they.’ It allows the viewer to the perspective of a third person, where they can be reassured and get to know the other characters. This one is among the most difficult, as voiceover performers often need to create different impressions.
Conclusion
The art of telling stories is an art that can be powerful. Stories connect people and communicate a powerful message to society based on the topic. They encourage, inspire, and leave an impression on the viewers.
There is always room to grow and discover something new. These skills above can help you increase your efficiency and also how well your job is done. If you want to know more about becoming an artist in the field of voice, look up my blog about the steps to becoming a successful voice artist and learn more about the area.
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