'Breathing Life Into Your Written Word'
Ian Swann R.A.D.A. (dip)
Bring your Scripts or Speeches to me, whether real or just to learn from and increase their impact.
Over the past few years I have been aware of a compromising of the delivery and performance quality of scripts and performances across the media, the media that I have been lucky to work in for over three decades.
I often listen to commercials, continuity, narrations, speeches and other platforms, and to be frank, often wonder what the director was doing. Or, if it was just a self-record and the artist couldn’t objectively hear themselves. Who said to them, ‘I think you can do better' or 'can you change that delivery to something else?’.
I gave it much thought and having been encouraged by those that I have helped ‘nail’ their interpretation of the scripts in front of them, I thought I would do something about it.
How I can help you
I can help with the many performance layers that voice-overs need, to take them to the top of their performing abilities, whether helping them with their believability, their 'RP' (Received Pronunciation) or a specific character.
Quite often a voice-over will state that they speak with RP, when in fact they don't and their voice clearly speaks with their own accent, albeit slightly. Many performers have actually asked me to help them, as the advice they have sought elsewhere, is sadly lacking or just elementary.
How often has your performance or delivery of a script, speech, or narrative needed the input of someone to help you ‘lift it off the page’, someone who not only will give you an honest but constructive appraisal of your attempts to speak what is written before you. Have you ever thought: ‘I don’t know what this will sound like to my audience.’, ‘how can I deliver it better?’, or ‘where do I start?'. Let me put my finger on the issues.
Whether you are a novice Voice-Over, an experienced one or newcomer, a Best Man, or CEO of an international corporation, a Lecturer or Lay Preacher, trying to convey the content of an all important subject close to your heart, or a politician trying to convey your message truthfully and believably, the same doubts and yearning for constructive feedback and direction, will exist.
Voice-overs / Actors
If you are a Voice-over or Actor wanting to learn or improve your performances and you find that your coaching has been too generic or lacking, or maybe you have been sold ‘The Dream’? Perhaps you want to give a 'natural' read or want to know how to develop characters? As a leading RADA trained, UK character voice-over actor, I am here to help.
I have noticed that some performers are not able to give their best. I am sure it may not be their fault, it may be because of 'self-recording' and the absence of direction. Perhaps they are not lucky enough to have had the one-to-one on the job tuition that I had at the beginning of my career. I am not taking the place of a voice-over 'coach', although through my tutorage, there will be an inevitable coaching equivalence. I will enhance to a finer degree, what a voice 'actor' has already learned - including what acting actually means within a performance.
At the very least I have voiced tens of thousands of commercials in my career, as well as all the other media and national TV continuity I have been involved with, and I can impart that knowledge, one on one.
CEOS / Executives
Maybe you are a Corporate CEO or Executive, wanting to stand before your company and address your team or workforce confidently and you don’t want to sound detached, but on the other hand not come across as patronising? I am sure most of you have had media training and have had techniques instilled into you over some time, but what about the actual speech you are going to give? Perhaps your generic tuition as left you wanting, for this one-off important keynote address? Maybe English is not your native language and you need help with pronunciation and fluidity. We can go over your speech and tailor it to your needs.
Best Men/Women, Grooms, FoTB etc.
Best Men, or Best Women for that matter. Who is going to listen to your speech before you have the one chance to deliver it, with all those built up nerves? Let me help with those jitters and give you a sympathetic bit of feedback. At the very least, I can give you more constructive feedback than your labrador, or bathroom mirror! You need my help. I am here for that.
Reading of Scripture
As a young boy I was a cathedral chorister in Leicester. Listening to clergy of differing abilities trying to communicate hallowed words for some years, I was aware that too many were not conducting a service or reading scripture in a way that was communicating the message of the text. I even heard this recently with a trainee theology student in a church some distance from me. He was already putting on the ‘wafting, ethereal vicar’ voice and his message was lost. Any sacred text needs to be communicated in a relatable way to engage a congregation. I can help bring those texts of faith to many, through you.
Funerals or In Memoriam
Now we come to the sad part. When a loved one or friend dies, one can often be called to speak about them in a sensitive, respectful way. Maybe one wishes to bring in some humour to reflect a lighter tone to the gathered mourners. I have spoken myself at loved ones' funerals or memorial services and know from personal experience how difficult it can be. However you choose to address this difficult moment in your life, with all the emotion it conjures up, I can help with the delivery of your eulogy in a sensitive and understanding way.
Politicians
Which brings us now to our Politicians. We all know that you might have had presentation training within an inch of your lives and frankly sometimes, it is just too much! We might well need to take things back to basics a little, or maybe work on you being relatable, approachable and sincere, rather than your nerves leading to a rather 'wooden' and false delivery perhaps. Well, consider this! Your seat may depend on it!
This is where I come in. Over GoogleMeet, Zoom, or another conferencing platform of your choice, we can discuss, work on or improve upon the delivery of your speech or script. We can look at all aspects of what it takes to deliver it as you intended, or were not even aware of the little gems that are locked inside the script as it is set down, that you hadn't even noticed. You may have written it, or had it written for you, but a touch of professional objectivity will always help you.
So often, sadly, people don’t even understand deep down what it is they are reading, nor what the actual meaning is of the text, or of some of the individual words and phrases within it. This can create a problem, in the interpreting of the meaning, by failing to deliver the stress or nuance to achieve that great result. Even the timing can kill the best delivery. Some clients need a second professional ear with truthful constructive criticism, or even major advice. I have worked through scripts, texts and their delivery with clients, and quite often the penny finally drops – for a better performed end result.
Let me help you.
