Skip to content
mel hulm
mel hulm

mel hulm

a voice that fits

  • Home
    • hello,
  • hear me
  • about me
  • book me
  • read me
  • Mel Hulm

featured voice over

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

have a listen

@MelHulm on Instagram

⚡️script hack⚡️5 easy peasy ways to keep your script crystal clear (spoiler: use of ‘easy peasy’ is not one of them).⁣ ⁣ Whether you’re scripting a commercial, corporate explainer or eLearning modules, here’s how to keep it clear. And keep people listening.⁣ ⁣ 🙋🏼‍♀️ stick with familiar, everyday words⁣ ⁣ 🐝 kill the buzzwords and jargon⁣ ⁣ ✂️ keep your sentences short⁣ ⁣ 🤸🏼‍♀️ use active voice and personal pronouns⁣ ⁣ 📞 have a clear call to action⁣ ⁣ And if you love a good stat (god who doesn’t?) there are tools to measure and improve your plain Jane-ness. ⁣ ⁣ Check out: ⁣ 🖊 Hemingway app⁣ 🖊 Visible Thread⁣ 🖊 Readable.io⁣ 🖊 Grammarly⁣ 🖊 Word’s built in readability stats⁣ ⁣
⁣ 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭: how would you feel about playing an aggressive customer character? There’s some swearing. Wanted to check if you would be comfortable having a crack at it. Or is it not really your thing?⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ 𝐌𝐞: where do I fkn sign?⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣
👉🏻reminder👈🏻⁣ ⁣ Fresh off the back of my first festive voice over for 2019, consider this your friendly prod to start thinking about your Christmasy slash end-of-yeary voicey needs🎅🏻⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Hit me up if you need a voice over for your:⁣⁣ ⁣ 📞 telephone system holiday messages⁣⁣ ⁣ 📺 Boxing Day sale commercial⁣⁣ ⁣ 📸 social media Christmas content⁣ ⁣ 💻 year in review corporate presentation⁣⁣ ⁣ 📹 Christmas video message for clients⁣⁣ ⁣ 🎤 in-store seasons greetings⁣ ⁣⁣ Just don’t hit me up on the big day—December 20 to da 5. I’ll have a few Xmas Day shandies under my belt. And that does not maketh a quality voice over. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Unless your script direction is a ‘tipsy, little bit sweary, full of fruit cake, Mrs Claus’. ⁣ ⁣ Then I’m your fkn woman ⁣ ⁣ $&@!%#<¥📢🤶🏻⁣ ⁣
Fossick through my handbag and you’ll find one of these amongst the half-melted chapsticks, lipsticks in a range of unflattering shades, Fisherman’s Friends (both in and out of the packet) and a dried up felt tip pen.⁣ ⁣ The audio-technica AT9913iS mini shotgun condenser mic.⁣ ⁣ It plugs straight into my phone cause I’m still rolling with a headphone jack. ⁣ ⁣ (Grab yourself a headphone jack adapter to use it with a newer phone).⁣ ⁣ It has a windscreen cause pops are gross. ⁣ ⁣ It’s super-directional (my words) or ultra-directional (if you want the legit descript).⁣ ⁣ It’s lightweight and pivots like a pro-netballer, so you can really shove it up into the face of anyone you’re recording.⁣ ⁣ I carry one when I’m out of the studio in case I need to quickly record a voice over sample to demonstrate a style or tone. (Obvs making the client aware this isn’t my studio quality).⁣ ⁣ I also use it for interviews, recording videos on my phone and quick placeholder voice overs.⁣ ⁣ Then a speedy edit in the GarageBand or Twisted Wave app and she’s good to G-O.⁣ ⁣ Swipe across to hear a sneaky snippet.⁣ ⁣
⁣ Client: Caloundra Music Festival⁣ Project: Radio ad⁣ Style: natural, conversational, good vibes⁣ ⁣ Build a head adornment, strategically place some body jewels and forget to wear pants.⁣ ⁣ OK, you’re festival ready. And I’m too old to fashun.⁣ ⁣ But, CAN belt out an on-trend natural voice over style.⁣ ⁣ Can’t braid for shit but.⁣ ⁣ Hit up my highlights for more conversational vibes ✌🏻⁣ ⁣
⁣ Script: insert slap SFX⁣ SFX library: only shit sounding slaps here⁣ Me: I’ll bloody well make my own then⁣ ⁣ I believe this is what they call suffering for your art. ⁣ ⁣ But geez, the old arm meat delivers a delicious sounding slap.⁣ ⁣Make sure you scroll ➡️ to witness said art.⁣ ⁣ Mel Hulm. Making sound effect dreams come true since SFX libraries sucked.⁣ ⁣
⚡️headphone hack⚡️ How to keep your cans crud free.⁣ ⁣ There’s nothing worse than leaving a layer of makeup or general face grime on your headphone cushions.⁣ ⁣ Even worse if you run a studio and the talent leaves half their face behind on your exy Sennheisers or AKGs. Gross.⁣ ⁣ A quick way to de-crud? Have a packet of baby wipes on hand. ⁣ ⁣ Go the chemical, alcohol and fragrance-free option. ⁣ ⁣ Use them for a quick wipe over the headphone cushions and headband to remove all that DNA. ⁣ ⁣ If ear wax, head-lice, boys’ germs or cooties have infested your headphones, soz, you’re on your own. ⁣ ⁣ FYI I bought this super-rad headphone patent pic from @79designstudio on Etsy.⁣ ⁣
Character voice overs are not always all about accents, impersonations and impressions.⁣ ⁣ They can be your average guy or gal next door.⁣ ⁣ Or in the case of this eLearning project, 4 natural-sounding employees talking about their jobs.⁣ ⁣ Employees that needed to sound different from each other. They also needed to be the polar opposite of the corporate voice over style I used throughout the eLearning modules themselves. ⁣ ⁣ I’ve coached, interviewed and recorded people throughout my career. And there’s certain ways most people react when you shove a mic in their face and ask them a bunch of questions. ⁣ ⁣ Odd inflections. Noticeable breaths. Drawn out words. Fillers like ‘um’ and ‘ah’. Long pauses. Even a little uptalk. ⁣ ⁣ All perfect traits for moving away from a polished voice over sound. And sounding like a rando has just shoved a mic in your face and said ‘𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣’.⁣ ⁣ And that’s how one un-bullets a voice over.⁣ ⁣ The end.⁣ ⁣
Follow mel hulm on WordPress.com

Categories

Social Media Profiles

  • Mel Hulm
Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
%d bloggers like this: