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Improve Your Timing | Top
4 Ways To Improve Your Timing
By Susan Berkley
Tips and techniques for beginners and professionals
who want
to make big money in voiceover.
copyright
2001, The Great Voice Company | All Rights Reserved
Have you been told that you have a good voice but when you read out loud, you
feel as though you read too slowly? If you're self-conscious about your reading
speed, here are four things you can do to improve your sense of timing.. 1.
Practice With A StopwatchIn voiceover there is no such thing as "feeling"
you are too slow or too fast. The stopwatch never lies, even though internally
it may feel as if your time is off. Depend on the clock, not your gut. Developing
a keen sense of timing is really important in this business. A :60 commercial
has to be :60, not :61, :58 or even sixty and a half! Professional voiceover artists
must know how to read exactly to time and shave or add seconds on command. Tape
TV and radio commercials and time them. Then transcribe the copy. See if you can
match the announcer's timing. If she reads the commercial in :28 seconds, keep
practicing until you can do the same. 2. Compress The Space Between Words
Or LinesSince you haven't yet learned to "feel" timing, you can train yourself
to "see" it. Imagine that the space between the words is getting smaller and smaller
and you'll tend to read faster. 3. Stand Up And Gesture FreelyIt will
increase vocal energy level. Use gestures to pump up the energy level. Don't be
afraid to look like a maniac. 4. Mark Your ScriptBefore you begin
reading, know exactly where you intend to pause and for how long. Mark these pauses
on your script. This is also where you will breathe. Do not pause anywhere else! One
more thought: when reading copy you shouldn't be thinking about your voice at
all but concentrating on the person you are talking to.
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