I had a different blog topic in mind for this week. I was going to talk about St. Patrick’s Day and how I just completed an awesome, in-depth course studying some of the regional dialects in Ireland. It was the “Irish Deep Dive” led by the incredible voice actor and master dialectician, Eliza Jane Schneider. My goal as a voice actor is to master authentic accents and dialects for projects like video games and audiobooks that don’t want “accent stereotypes”, so this course was perfect. I’ve got Dublin, Belfast, Sneem, and Sligo under my belt, but there are SO many more! There is so much more to say about it, and perhaps I will blog about it at another point.
However, today I want to talk about a topic that is probably on most people’s minds. The strain of Coronavirus called COVID-19.
I do hope that you all are healthy and are adapting to the current, “new normal” as we ride out this pandemic that is creating a lot of fear and uncertainty. I won’t lecture you on the importance of good hygiene, making smart decisions, and being cautious. You’re hearing that enough from everyone else.
I do want to encourage you during this time. For many people, work life has been disrupted, and it’s not “business as usual”. Many of us are forced to rely on the benefits of technology to help us continue to interact and conduct business, even to a limited extent. I’m thankful that the means and opportunities are there for many of us to still plod along, even if we have to get creative and make adaptations.
Please know that I am here to help and support you as we weather this situation together. Many recording studios are shut down, and we’re practicing “social distancing”, so I’m glad to be able to offer you an alternative.
I have a professional home studio with the capability to connect in a variety of ways. If you’d like, you are able to direct me in the session remotely by patching in via Source Connect, ipDTL, ISDN, Zoom, or Skype. As always, I offer light-speed turnaround so your project timeline can stay on track.
I’m sure each of our business needs in this current situation are different, but I can already see needs that are arising for some of my clients:
*new IVR / telephony / phone prompt messages sharing messages of office closures, event cancelations, alternative ways to get in contact, etc.
*companies making commercials or PSAs reassuring customers that they’re using extreme caution and following all of the recommended guidelines to ensure the safety of their customers (restaurants offering no-contact delivery are a good example of this)
*medical narration for material created to explain the COVID-19 virus and the updates we’re receiving
*employers needing to share important and ever-changing information with employees in a personal and engaging way without sending email after email of text
*tutorials and explainer videos for employees and clients to learn how to use technology to conduct business, including virtual meetings and livestream events (ex: Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Zoom sessions, Skype, etc.)
*teachers and education professionals moving curriculum completely over to distance-learning and e-Learning with the need to instruct both teachers and students in how to interact in the new environment
I know there are more ideas out there. Please let me know how I can help you with your specific needs, and if you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. If you’re also in need of video editors, I can refer you to some great ones.
We don’t yet know what’s ahead of us. We don’t know what will get shut down, what new “social distancing” regulations will be passed and how long they will last. We don’t know what other curveballs we’ll be thrown before we get a handle on this. Rest assured that I have the ability to provide for all your professional voiceover needs right from my home studio. Please take advantage of that so you can continue to tell your story to a world that really needs to hear it, especially now.
Stay safe and healthy, encourage one another, and believe we will come through this together, stronger than before.
Love,
Sarah
Just a few examples of projects using voice over:
e-Learning
Commercials
Audiobooks
Animation/Anime/Video Games
Toys
Tourism Videos
Explainer Videos
Training Videos
Online / YouTube tutorials
IVR / Telephony / Voicemail
GPS Navigation
Promos & Trailers
PSAs
Medical Narration
Technical Narration
Corporate Narration
Radio Dramas
Radio Broadcasting
Documentaries
Guided Meditation Exercises
Museum Tours
ADR/Looping