What qualities are required for a voice of the judge?

What is voice of the judge

Voice over has become an integral part of the entertainment and commercial world. Voice over artists lend their voice to many characters or roles depending on their vocal abilities and limitations. One such role in the entertainment industry that requires voice of the judge.

There can be two types of judges

one is the judge in the court and the other one is the judge in the reality shows. The judge in the court hears the complaints of the people and gives out decisions or judgement trying to serve justice to the people. Whereas a judge in the reality show decides and picks out the best performer among several similar participants. 

A court judge gives the judgement after listening to the facts of both the parties involved. Whereas a reality show judge decides the winner of the competition based purely on the performance. A courtroom is a relatively small room compared to that of an auditorium or a theatre where reality shows are performed.

These differences between the judges require some variation in the voice of the judge. In the courtroom, the voice of the judge should be clearly audible even without a microphone. The judge’s voice should be relaxed but firm while passing the judgement. The tone and pitch should remain consistent and avoid expressing emotions in the voice.

On the other hand, in the reality show the judge uses a microphone. The judge’s voice can be relaxed or excited depending on the performance they are judging. The voice of a reality show judge can express emotions.

What are the characteristics of a judge’s voice in the courtroom vs characteristics of a judge’s voice in a reality show?

The voice-over artist needs to keep the following characteristics in mind while recording the voice of the judge depending on whether it is in the courtroom or in a reality show.

1. Exceptional enunciation is essential
   

   
   Enunciation is the clear and distinct sound of the words formed by a person while speaking. The voice of the judge needs to have perfect enunciation. No matter what the judgement is, the voice-over artist needs to have perfect enunciation to suit the intensity of the judgement. It helps to give a realistic experience and the true meaning and intention can be conveyed to the audience.

    

2. Perfect pronunciation is a must
   

   
   Pronunciation is about how the words are said. It focuses on how the syllables are emphasised. Imagine a judge issuing the judgments with mumbled words. A mispronounced judgement could convey a whole different meaning. Hence, pronunciation is very important for a judge. Voice-over artists should have the pronunciation that would suit the accent of the actor playing the role of the judge.

    

3. Consistency cannot be ignored

   
   Every courtroom scene should have a consistent voice of a judge. A consistent voice also conveys confidence in the judgement. While recording the voice of a judge, the voice-over artist should be balanced and unwavering in the enunciation, pronunciation, range, pacing, language, accent, energy, speed and volume across all the courtroom scenes and reality shows.

    

4. Clarity is also required
   

   
   A court is a place where people take their problems to be resolved in front of a judge. Reality shows help people to showcase their talents and based on the judge’s decision they are selected or eliminated. Hence, it becomes very crucial for the voice of the judge to be as clear as possible while issuing the sentences, judgments and decisions. Voice-over actors need to deliver the judge’s voice with clarity to convey the right meaning to the audience or participants.

    

5. Pacing is definitely a necessity
   

   
   Pacing is the pause between the words, dialogues or sentences while speaking. There should not be a long or unnecessary pause in the judge’s voice. The voice-over artists should deliver the dialogues of a judge at the right pace.

    

6. Speed is also a requirement
   

   
   The speed at which a courtroom judge or a reality show judge speaks should neither be too slow nor too fast. The speed of the speech also shows the confidence of the speaker. The judge’s voice should have a comfortable speed.

    

7. Volume is also a requisite

   
   The volume of a judge’s voice says a lot about the emotions. Volume can be associated with anger, excitement, urgency, authority, mystery, fear, affection and so on. A judge in the courtroom is usually required to speak without a microphone. Therefore, the volume of a judge’s voice in the courtroom should be clearly audible to everyone in the room. A reality show judge uses a microphone while speaking to the participants so speaking at a lower volume would be sufficient to be audible to the participants and the entire audience.

    

Commercial voice-over artists can either record the voice of the judge in the original voice or record a foreign language in the existing language, which is called dubbing. Knowing the following differences between voice-over and dubbing will help you choose the right technique for your judge’s voice.

Voice-over is generally not synchronised with the video, and it is narrative by nature. Dubbing involves the synchronisation of lips and movements with the original video. Voice-over can be applied to any type of video without any original audio. Dubbing is used for translating the original language into foreign languages hence, it can be used only on the content that already has audio.

The voice-over artist’s voice is heard louder and the original audio is heard in the background of a voice-over. Whereas in dubbing, the original audio is muted and the audio in a foreign language is recorded. The voice-over technique focuses primarily on the narration and not the emotions in the content. Whereas in dubbing, the artist focuses on getting the perfect emotions in the scenes.

Tagged as: Judge's voice / voice of the judge