The world of voiceover is vast and varied, not just limited to merely advertorial purposes. You’d be surprised how many different types of video voiceovers there are alone, very many in fact.
This post is going to take you through some of the various roles that video voiceovers can undertake, to give you perspective on just how much impact voiceovers can have on the world around us.
Commercial
Likely the most popularly known, and notorious of the list, the commercial voiceover is one who narrates an advert shown on TV, the internet, or your mobile phone.
The purpose of which is to promote a product, service, or brand, typically these voiceovers are more upbeat, commanding, and intended to capture the audience’s attention. Think of your favourite, most memorable advert, more often than not, that advert is what it is due to a well selected voiceover making it so.
Corporate:
Typically a more formal voiceover, the corporate voiceover’s purpose is to deliver a professional presence, for various purposes.
The most obvious of course being used for commercial purposes, but also for narration of in-house company communications. A good example of this could be for an induction video at a corporation, or a promotional video showcasing the latest product launch.
For CEOs and managers who don’t have the time and resources to record it themselves, they can easily outsource it for a voiceover to deliver.
Animation:
Though we’re all familiar with the animation giants such as the likes of Disney & Dreamworks, many of us overlook the fact that these animation classics wouldn’t be where they are today without some fantastic voices behind the mic.
Character voices breathe life into otherwise concept characters, and add a depth to the storytelling that wouldn’t exist in just concept.
Explainer Video & Tutorials:
Explainer videos are used to describe a product, or service or even take users through a setup tutorial, for instance. Explainer video voiceovers usually capture a straightforward, friendly, yet commanding tone, to fulfil the purpose.
These voiceovers aren’t just limited to traditional tutorials, however, they’re also prevalent in how-to videos, for those running a popular YouTube channel, for instance.
Documentary:
A type of voiceover where the likes of David Attenborough excel, the documentary voiceover is specialised in taking viewers through a story, bringing the documentary’s narrative to life.
Documentary voiceovers are important for providing context, extra information, and passionate narration to quality visuals. It’s fair to say that without documentary voiceovers, documentaries simply wouldn’t have the appeal they do today.
Our Planet | Jungles | FULL EPISODE | Netflix
Dubbing:
When creating a TV show and attempting to expand to different audiences, this is where dubbing comes in clutch.
Dubbing is the process of finding a similar voice artist, to overlap an original (usually English) audio for a foreign audience. This makes it so international audiences can watch a series or movie, without having to read subtitles throughout the whole film.
Though the dubs aren’t always as good as the original, the option is really what counts.
Different Types of Video Voiceover:
So there you have it, you’ve now got some insight into how many types of video voiceovers are really out there!
Were you surprised by anything included on this list? To summarise, here are the types of video voiceovers we included below:
- Commercial
- Corporate
- Animation
- Explainer video & tutorial
- Documentary
- Dubbing
Did we miss anything? Comment below if you have another to add to the list!
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