What’s in a voice?
By and large, Japanese clients are inept at choosing
voices. They don’t ask themselves why they think a certain kind of voice
goes with, say, a given video or TV commercial.
If they did ask, they would
have to admit that theris is just a vague personal prejudice like some men
prefer blondes over brunettes or vice
versa. Clearly, different cultures
have different preferences for voices – depending on the subject.
By and large, Japanese clients go for the kind of voices
that sells shampoo in the US.
Now, shampoo is…well…soap. It cleans your hair. And the
voices, male or female, are clean, clear, and more or less devoid of
character. No whiny kid’s voices
here. No raspy Favorite Uncle
voices. No real emotion. The subject is vapid.
The concept, superficial.
I keep on going back to the “It’s a Sony” voice so many years ago. Or the Honda Prelude
voice that I used to do. Both voices are deep, a little raspy. They’re different. Arguably older. They have character. And they were hugely popular. I know that in the case of Honda, Honda had
tried no less than four Shampoo voices first, hoping (irrationally) to get the
“It’s a Honda” effect
.
The production company hit on me, more or less by trial and
error. Maybe they misdialed or confused
me with someone else. They still didn’t
know what they were doing. And things
would have worked out differently if I hadn’t known what they really needed.
Nowadays, voice casting has not improved.
You have to think
when choosing voices. If only because it is also about the choosing delivery.
Listen to this from comedian, social commentator, Lee
Camp…..
Lee Camp’s voice is perfect
for what he does. Or – maybe – what he does is perfect for his voice. His delivery is unique, half rap, half rant,
complete with alliteration and rhyme and rhythm – a beat. So the voice is absolutely right, a little
high, hard – as piercing as his observations.
Imagine the Shampoo Voice doing this. Or the Breakfast serial guy. Or even the Movie Trailer Guy. Nope. These are stereotypical voices and Lee
Camp’s style is all about the unexpected – irony and bathos.
Of course, Lee Camp also writes his own stuff – which makes
it exactly right.
Of course, company PR people in Japan are not into
creativity or quality – they want something that “fits a mold” , that is unexceptional,
that will not generate conversation, much less debate.
Of course, Camp’s genius is that what he says is exception
and really makes you think. And his way of saying – both delivery and
tone—amplify the effect.
Go to his website – you might learn something.
http://leecamp.net/
