I’m writing this month’s Blog from sunny California – San Diego to be exact, where I’ve just run around six miles along Pacific Beach.
Why run, I hear you ask, when a car is much quicker?
Hmmm …good point and one I would have certainly raised myself a few years ago. But ever so slowly, I have actually become quite a keen runner and over the last few years have completed three triathlons, two half marathons and, just few weeks ago, the Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest challenge, in and around Battersea Power Station, London.
Anthony Richardson ...Born Survivor!
So why am I telling you all this? Well, strangely, as a by-product of all this fanatical fitness stuff my ability to read a passage of text without taking a breath has improved exponentially.
What does that mean then?
It means that a good proportion of a voice over’s life is usually spent editing-out breaths from their recordings. This is generally referred to as producing a “radio edit” as advertisers tend to try and cram as many words into a 30 second slot as possible – and there is just no time for breathing. Time is money!
So… I used to spend ages deleting breaths from my recordings and shortening the gaps slightly, where the breaths used to be, to keep the flow sounding natural, but allowing many more words into an allotted timeslot. But now, being much fitter than I was a few years ago, I take far fewer breaths and so the recording and editing process is MUCH quicker and the flow of the text I am reading sounds much more natural.
Cool huh?
Happy client, happy voice over!
So, why not invest in yourself? Put out that ciggy, get your trainers on and get a little out of breath. It actually pays …ca$h!
(Oh, and you’ll probably feel better for it too – one thing I forgot to mention is that getting fit generally allows you to eat what you want, when you want. Mmmm… doughnuts!).
Let me know what you think.
