Behind the voice: meeting with Estelle Hubert, voice-over actress
- Baptiste
- Mar 15, 2023
- 3 min read
Estelle Hubert, French voiceover artist, gave her first lecture to students on Thursday 2 March 2023. The actress lent her voice for a completely different exercise, to make the profession of voice-over known.
What is a voice-over?
The role of a voiceover is to provide narration or audio commentary for a film, video, advertisement, presentation or other visual medium. Often used to provide additional information, explanations or comments that are not visible on screen, it is an "essential asset" for conveying a clear and effective message to the audience.
Portrait of a multi-talented voice
Estelle Hubert has been a voiceover artist for over 20 years and was voted best female voiceover artist in the world in 2021 and 2022 at the One Voice Awards in London. Her mission is to interpret a message for her clients to increase their appeal and effectiveness. To do this, the actress records her projects directly in a personal recording studio, to best capture attention by embodying them, the key to her profession.
When to use a voiceover?
Voice-overs can be used to add a dimension of professionalism, seriousness, or to add a personal touch to the narrative. It can create a specific mood or emotion, depending on the tone and style of the voiceover. To achieve the desired result, the voice is an essential element in conveying a clear and effective message.
In order to choose the most appropriate voice, it is important to ask yourself several questions, such as: "What is your project or message?" and "Who is the communication campaign aimed at?" Depending on the target audience and the message, it is important to choose a voice that conveys the desired values. For example, for a campaign to promote an organic and environmentally friendly product, it may be wise to choose a voice that reflects values such as authenticity, transparency and respect for nature.
Also, the intentions of the voice should be taken into account. Is it a voice-over to accompany a video or advertisement? Or is it a voice that should evoke a particular emotion in the listener? In any case, it is important to choose a voice that will be in line with the intentions of the communication campaign.
As another example, in documentaries, voice-overs are often used to provide information about the subject of the documentary, to explain the images on the screen and to provide historical or cultural context. In advertisements, voiceover is often used to promote a product or service, providing information about its benefits or features. Adding an extra dimension to a visual medium by providing narration or commentary helps to contextualise or clarify the images on screen.
A growing demand
The use of voice-over services is constantly increasing, with the explosion of streaming platforms and online audiovisual content. Choosing the right voice for a project is a complex process that requires a number of factors to be taken into account. This will ensure that the message is clear and effective, conveying the desired values and meeting the intentions of the campaign.
To be put into Practice
Some tips and concepts to remember when writing for voiceover actors:
"Link sentences and punctuate them, no listings or enumerations.
"Keep sentences short and to the point.
"Make pronunciations clear".
"When speaking, for information, we will use a medium speed, with 3 words per second. For legal notices, we'll be on 4 words per second".
To find out more about Estelle Hubert 👉🏼 Comédienne voix off femme | Voix off féminine
To listen to Estelle Hubert's demos 👉🏼Estelle HUBERT VOIX OFF FRANÇAISE
For more figures on the number of voiceover actors, I recommend that you consult Aurélien's article Voiceover from 2020 (Combien de voix-off françaises sommes-nous en ligne ?).
Comments