SCRIPT
PREP CHECKLIST FOR SMOOTHER RECORDING SESSIONS
By
Susan Berkley, President of The Great Voice Company
A
well prepared script makes a recording session run efficiently,
and improves the quality of the recordings. Here are
some tips...
1.
Scripts should be neatly typed
Serif fonts such as Times Roman are easiest to read.
Increase font size to at least 12 points. Double space
between each prompt. Hand written notes increase the
likelihood of error. Bring a copy of the script for
everyone who will be sitting in on the session. The
more people listening and following along, the less
likelihood for error.
2.
Don’t abbreviate
You’ll save time and expensive re-takes if you
script everything out exactly as you want it spoken.
The pronunciation of many common abbreviations is ambivalent
unless you specify how you want them read. Should .inc
be read as “ink” or incorporated? Is it
“co” or corporation? Should “temp”
be read as temporary, temperature or temp? Assume nothing.
Spell out all abbreviations. Rather than writing: “numbers
1-100,” script every number you want spoken and
give it a corresponding file name. Otherwise a number
may be inadvertently missed. Words that are to be spelled
out should be written with a hyphen between every letter
like this: l-a-k-e-s.
3.
Include pronunciation guidelines
Specify the pronunciation of technical or medical terminology,
unusual proper names, foreign words and cities, and
unusual pronunciations of cities and streets in the
United States. Susan Berkley read a script recently
for a bank located in “Botetourt, SC.” Because
the client didn’t provide pronunciation guidelines,
she had to stop the recording session, get the banks
phone number from directory assistance and call them
to ask how they pronounce their name. Curious? It’s
bot-a-tot!
4.
Pay attention to page breaks
So that the voice talent doesn't have to turn pages
don’t insert a page break in the middle of a prompt.
Doing so will help prevent paper rustling noises. Number
every page.
5.
Use ellipses to show inflection
Numbers can be spoken with an Initial (rising), Medial
(neutral) or falling (final) inflection. The standard
contextual notation for numbers, understood by professional
voice talent, uses ellipses (three dots) to indicate
inflection.
Initial: One…
Rising inflection. When the number appears at the beginning
of a sentence. Dots after the number
Medial: …one…
When the number is in the middle of a sentence, as in
“Your account balance is eighty ONE dollars.”
Dots on either side of the number
Falling: …one.
When the number is the last word in a sentence. Dots
before the number.
6.
Record the most important prompts last
Record the less frequently heard messages first while
the talent is still warming up. Put your most important
prompts toward the end of the script so by the time
the talent gets to them, their voice is warmed up and
fully energized. Don’t be afraid to ask the talent
to re-record any prompts you didn’t quite like
at the end of the session. You’ll usually get
a better read the second time around.
To
contact The Great Voice Company, please call 201-541-8595
ext 24 or email at michelle@greatvoice.com
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