adolescent voiceover tweak?

DGrob wrote on 12/18/2004, 7:52 AM

I've got a mature female voiceover doing a clean read of a poem used over a photomontage with simple music track -12db under. I'd like the female voice to be very young - too young to actually get a read, say 5-7 YOA.

I've been trying to tweak the UltimateS Oz audio presets, but can't seem to excape the slightly "munchkin" (and slightly obviously processed) tone. Don't have SF7.

Anybody got a preset chain they could pass on? Or other suggestions?

BTW, also posted at Vegas audio forum.

TIA, Darryl

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 12/18/2004, 8:38 AM

This is one that's very hard to fake. Can you find an 8 year old? You'd be surprised at how young they can sound, especially with a lot of rolloff in the lower end. We had to use young children for our Child Abuse Prevention PSA, and we cast it at a local elementary school. It worked out really well for us, it might work for you?

je@on wrote on 12/18/2004, 8:41 AM

The bottom line is you must hire the right talent: Someone who can do the voice. It will require some energy put into casting. I'm a believer that sound is half the show and bad narration will bring the entire project down.

DGrob wrote on 12/18/2004, 8:55 AM

"This is one that's very hard to fake." Amen. Your explanation makes a lot of sense. Better spend my time obtaining a more appropriate starting point - young.

"sound is half the show and bad narration will bring the entire project down." You're right on. That's the reason I've been working it so hard. Just a hint of "processing" seriously detracts from the effect.

Gonna go lookin' Darryl

Lawrence_S wrote on 12/20/2004, 3:29 PM

In the ADR process for TV programs there are many producers that use female adult voice talents to imitate children. Depending on the talent it may work fine (or not). This is possible because of Syncresis (a term developed by Michel Chion) that means "Syncronism + Sintesis". Chion postulate that when image + sound are in absolute sync, our brain tends to "blend" then together in what we might call "unit of meaning". That´s what make cartoon voiceover possible.

But, I always prefer record children caracters BY children. It´s sounds really better. Some years ago I had a courious experience. I produced an audio CD for a Spanish course using female adults recording the children dialogs because I didn´t have latin children available. One year after the release of the audio CD course, my client told me that children (in classroons) could easily recognize adults faking children voices.

So, my conclusion is that if you have video, sometimes is possible to use female adults. I you have just audio, don´t try it! Look for children talents!!

Lawrence

JJKizak wrote on 12/20/2004, 4:27 PM

There are some female voices that react well to increased pitch changes in SF7 but not much over a numerical 2.5 change. And I new the result was good because I knew the 45 year old female and I knew her voice when she was about 14 years old. No other tweaks used.

JJK