Over 70 male, female and child voiceover artists have donated their voices to a specially-made radio commercial to encourage listeners to ‘keep talking’ whilst the UK is in lockdown.
“Voiceovers United” is a project created, written and produced by Voiceover Artist and award-winning Radio Commercial Producer, John Calvert. The message encourages listeners to ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, stay safe… And Keep Talking.”
John Calvert said: “Voiceovers often spend hours and hours cooped up in a small booth or room. Most of us in the trade are perfectly used to that. But for those who aren’t so used to isolation, the long lonely lockdown could have adverse effects on mental health. We all know talking is a great way to get things off your chest and who better to promote this than voiceovers?”
Some of the UK’s leading voiceover artists have joined the project. These include X Factor voice Peter Dickson; ‘Voice of the Balls’ Alan Dedicoat; film trailer voice Redd Pepper; Big Brother Voiceover Marcus Bentley; Flash Gordon, Blackadder and Star Wars character actor Brian Blessed and many more familiar voices from the world of TV, radio, film, advertising, gaming, animation and automation. Everyone who participated, including voiceover agents, animation companies and music publishers gave their services for free.
The voiceovers were sent a script and recorded the lines in their own studios. The audio was then sent back to the studio at Airforce Radio Commercial Production in Wiltshire and seamlessly mixed together.
John Calvert added: “So many leading voices uniting for something like this has never been done before, and the response to the initiative was far beyond anything I expected.
“What we have ended up with is a very powerful, yet entertaining message. I hope everyone will feel reassurance from hearing the message, share it with others and … Keep Talking.”
Voiceover Artist Emma Clarke (voice of ‘mind the gap’ and ‘Avalon’ in the Hollywood blockbuster feature film ‘Passengers’) said: “During this unprecedented period, we’re all alone together.
“I love the idea of lone voices coming together to create a whole in this gorgeous piece of audio. It reflects what’s happening in the world – that we all have to play our part as individuals to help the whole world.
“Everyone I speak to is feeling the same – tired, scared, overwhelmed, angry, powerless… and also joyful, connected, needed, loved, hopeful. We’re all feeling the same vulnerabilities. There’s something very powerful in that shared experience and for me, that’s what this piece of audio is about.”
The Voiceovers United project is inviting radio stations across the UK to broadcast the commercial at any time they see fit. It is available to download for free on Soundcloud.
80 second version: https://soundcloud.com/
60 second version: https://soundcloud.com/
30 second version: https://soundcloud.com/
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