not just a big beefy voice…

Last week, I spoke about my favourite style of voiceover – the natural/real person spot.  But more often than not, I receive scripts with a direction like this…

  • deep male read
  • nice solid mature read
  • strong hard sell read
  • Deep Male VO Hard Sell/URGENCY
  • tear your throat out over the top screamer hard sell read please
  • big beefy male read
  • ballsy macho guy for this…someone that scratches mozzie bites with a hot poker.

Can you seriously believe that last one ?  Believe it or not, I cut that line directly from a script I received just last week.

Anyway, sure I can do the “big beefy” style…and I can do it well, but when asked to sound like “me” – that’s easy too and it’s a lot lighter and pretty friendly as well.  Here’s one I read recently for Triple M Brisbane, I think you’ll get what I’m talking about.   Let me know your thoughts !  

Audio MP3

So bottom-line, I’m not just a “big beefy” voice – I can sound a little younger, because that’s the real “me”! …although I did feel a little old the day the call came…and the script arrived for a “Prostate Care” commercial.  …sigh…   at least it wasn’t for erectile disfunction !

6 Responses to “not just a big beefy voice…”

  • ray scott:

    One of the things that kept me going in this business, is the few people I kept hearing say, “The time of the Big Balled Announcer is over. Everyone knows the Big Balled Announcer lies to us.” If I remember correctly I’m paraphrasing Roy Williams.

    Sadly I keep finding places where that really isn’t true. Mostly it’s clients that think they know my job better than I do and are so far disconected from their client/customer I’m suprised they are still in business.

  • You get it in one with ‘big beefy’ as a style. Clients can be behind the times stylistically speaking (there, I’ve said it) or simply lacking in imagination. Do big beefy footballer macho types really have to scream at the camera and look stupid in tv ads for example? There are too many examples of this.

    The day of the EMO is well and truly here, and ideas of masculinity are open to discussion and vocal interpretation!

  • Pete:

    What about when you have a cold ? Then your ballsy read can give Big Jim Pilgrim a run for his money.

  • Abe:

    Come on mate – we all know ballsy reads and yelling sells product. It’s what connects with the punters the most after alll…….

  • I simply can’t believe this one – almost a week after I started this post, I get this amazing direction on a script and I just have to share …

    “MVO= 3-testicles, gravel in the throat”

    WHAT THE ???!!!!

    …sigh

  • OK.. so it finally happened this week !
    I got the call to read an “erectile dysfunction” ad.
    not a bad voiceover actually – it went to air in the Sydney radio market.
    That’ll teach me for commenting… jinxed myself.

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