Voice Over Ultimate Voice Over 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'slating' mean in a voice over session?
- Adding reverb to the recording in post-production
- Stating your name and/or take number at the start of a recording (Correct answer)
- Marking a bad take with a clap or tone for the editor
- Adjusting mic placement before recording begins
Correct answer: Stating your name and/or take number at the start of a recording
Slating means announcing identifying information (your name, the script title, or take number) at the start of a recording to help editors organize files.
Question 2: Which type of voice over work typically pays the highest rates under SAG-AFTRA contracts?
- Internet/new media
- Telephone prompts (IVR)
- Network television commercial (Class A) (Correct answer)
- Industrial/corporate narration
Correct answer: Network television commercial (Class A)
SAG-AFTRA Class A network television commercials pay the highest rates due to their broad reach and high usage fees that accumulate over time.
Question 3: What is 'ADR' in the context of voice over and film production?
- Automated Dialogue Replacement — re-recording an actor's lines in a studio to replace production audio (Correct answer)
- Audio Dynamic Range — the difference between quietest and loudest sounds in a mix
- Advanced Digital Recording — a high-resolution studio format
- Actor Directed Read — a session where the actor directs their own performance
Correct answer: Automated Dialogue Replacement — re-recording an actor's lines in a studio to replace production audio
ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) is the process of re-recording an actor's dialogue in a studio, synchronized to picture, to replace unusable on-set audio.
Question 4: In e-learning voice over, what tone and pace is generally recommended?
- Fast and energetic to maintain learner attention
- Conversational, clear, and measured with natural pauses for comprehension (Correct answer)
- Formal and authoritative with minimal inflection
- Dramatic and theatrical to emphasize key points
Correct answer: Conversational, clear, and measured with natural pauses for comprehension
E-learning voice over should be conversational and clear with a measured pace and natural pauses, allowing learners time to absorb information.
Question 5: What is a 'pay-to-play' (P2P) casting site in voice over?
- A platform where clients pay actors upfront before casting
- A site where voice actors pay a membership fee to audition for jobs posted by clients (Correct answer)
- A union-mandated payment system for broadcast work
- A royalty-sharing platform for audiobook narrators
Correct answer: A site where voice actors pay a membership fee to audition for jobs posted by clients
Pay-to-play sites like Voices.com or Voice123 charge voice actors a subscription fee for access to audition for client job postings.
Question 6: What is 'room tone' and why is it important in voice over post-production?
- The musical key of a room's resonant frequency used to tune recordings
- A few seconds of silence recorded in the recording space, used by editors to fill gaps seamlessly (Correct answer)
- The EQ setting that makes a voice sound as if it was recorded in a large hall
- The ambient noise level that determines whether a room is suitable for recording
Correct answer: A few seconds of silence recorded in the recording space, used by editors to fill gaps seamlessly
Room tone is a recording of the ambient silence of the recording environment, which editors use to fill in gaps or cuts without jarring changes in background noise.
Question 7: Which delivery method describes reading copy while watching the original foreign-language actors speak, matching their lip movements?
- Sight-reading
- Dubbing (lip sync) (Correct answer)
- Wild track recording
- Simultaneous interpretation
Correct answer: Dubbing (lip sync)
Dubbing, also called lip sync, requires the voice actor to match their dialogue to the mouth movements of the on-screen actor in a foreign-language production.
Voice Over Ultimate Voice Over 3
What does 'slating' mean in a voice over session?