This should be so obvious. 
So why do most voiceover performers do it wrong?
Nancy Wolfson demonstrates….
Nancy was a featured guest speaker at this year’s International Radio Creative & Production Summit. We’ve just released a limited edition of the Summit 2009 Complete Audio Record.
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Yep, Nancy does it again. Seems so simple, but few pay attention to it.
Being 6’2″ there is no copy stand tall enough to put the script where my eyes are…often, I have to put the stand on a box or a chair. Another benefit of having copy in front of your eyes in a session is that you don’t have the engineer, director, agency account exec, clients or assistants in your line of sight while you give a performance. Between takes just peer over or around the stand to get your direction, or bask in their love for your work!
I’m old school. Doc Kennedy, who worked at the Specs Howard School in Detroit in the ’80s, taught us to put the mic off to the side. This way, not only can we see the copy, but it eliminates the plosive P sound.
The most amazing demonstration of microphone technique in my opinion was Bill Cosby in the film “Himself”, which was a film of his nightclub performances from the early 1980s. Clips are available online but I recommend getting the entire DVD. He’s funny as heck but even more important, watch the way he uses the microphone throughout the entire movie. It will really make you re-think everything you ever learned about microphone placement.
My biggest pet peeve about microphone placement? Announcers, singers, and speakers who think they have to suck the microphone inside their mouths. It sounds just as bad as the description. Please stop it right now!
I always hold the copy up in my hands… it’s just easier. Copy stands never work for me. Either they’re placed wrong, such as across the 2-1/2 foot wide board, which makes it hard for a near-sighted person like me to read, or low to the desk. Or, worse yet, they’re on extension arms that are balanced correctly only when empty and the second you put something on it they drop out of sight.
Regarding having the microphone to the side of your mouth – that is the absolute perfect position! Nothing irritates me more than announcers, singers, and speakers who suck the microphone inside their mouths. It sounds as disgusting as it looks.
The most amazing demonstration of microphone placement can be found in the movie, “Bill Cosby – Himself”. Recorded from his nightclub act in the early 1980s. Get the whole DVD and watch where he keeps the microphone – especially during the dentist routine. It will make you re-think everything you’ve ever learned about microphone technique.
I think it’s more of a matter of opinion and to do what really works for you. Great suggestion for those who are having problems with the traditional way handling copy. Like anything in the industry, it’s very subjective.
I agree with John. The copy stand never works for me either. My vision is always somewhat blocked. Also, being a singer, I find my vocal chords are more relaxed and open if I hold the copy up at eye level. I took Nancy’s course and her lesson on mic technique made so much sense to me.
doesn’t it depend also on what mike is used
Now me, I break the rules and sit down to voice so being 6’3″ isn’t a problem. But I was taught that we ‘pop’ downwards so a mic should be above the lips. Is that one of those myths like “brekky announcers get lots of money”?