We’re doing something different on this episode. Jodi and I interview each other – and discover some real similarities and big differences between voice acting & hosting. One of the biggest similarities: As hosts and voice actors, we need to communicate emotion authentically. That’s where the joy and the success lies – and where many of the problems do, too.
Parts 1 and 2 of this conversation with Jodi Krangle are running on Sound Judgment and also on Audio Branding. Thanks to Audio Branding editor Humberto Franco for doing beautiful work in audio and video.
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To learn more about Jodi Krangle and connect with her, visit voiceoversandvocals.com.
To watch shorts from this episode and other Audio Branding episodes, visit Jodi’s Youtube channel, JodiKrangleVO.
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How to be a great host: Jodi Krangle’s takeaways
1. Sound needs to change as culture changes.
Remember the old movie trailers with The Voice of God? We don’t hear those much any more, and for a good reason. Younger generations experience sound in a very different way – they want to be shown what’s will be on the movie screen, for instance, not told to. They do not want to be sold to at all. So if we’re not hearing the Voice of God from voice actors any more, we’re also not wanting that newscaster, anchor voice – the Walter Cronkite voice – in journalism and podcasting, either.
2. Emotional context is what sound does for us.
I was surprised to hear Jodi say, when she’s recording a commercial, for instance – “If I don’t have a movie or play going on in my head, it’s hard for the person listening to understand the emotion that’s coming across.” Storytellers, when you’re using a script, this is key to avoiding sounding like you’re reading. We need to embody what we’re saying.
3. Hosting is strategic. We need to start treating it that way.
In the advertising industry, directors often make the mistake of tacking on voiceover at the end of a production, rather than thinking about it strategically from the beginning. Many folks in Jodi’s industry mistakenly believe voice acting is just standing at a mic and talking. That’s my pet peeve as well. We should be thinking about hosting – and creating an intentional sound for our shows – at the beginning of the process, not throwing in a voice at the end. Hosting well is how you engage listeners, and hosting poorly can lose them.
Tune in next week for Part 2, a bonus episode.
Credits
Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC.
Host: Elaine Appleton Grant
Project Manager: Tina Bassir
Sound Designer: Andrew Parella
Illustrator: Sarah Edgell
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Credits
Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC.
Host: Elaine Appleton Grant
Podcast Manager: Tina Bassir
Production Manager: Andrew Parrella
Audio Engineer: Kevin Kline
Production Assistant: Audrey Nelson
