Finding a French Voice Over

Introduction

In a world where attention spans are shrinking and visual content saturates every platform, finding a way to stand out is essential.
Whether you need a compelling commercial, an explainer video, a corporate message or a podcast, the voice you choose can make or break your project.
But faced with a wealth of talented artists, how do you find THE VOICE that perfectly embodies your brand and delivers your message with impact?
Whether it is about understanding the different voice types and their unique qualities, or finding the tone and style that suits you best, here are some tips to help you find the voice over artist — male or female — who will bring your message to life.

The importance of voice over in the audiovisual industry

Voice over has become essential in marketing and advertising strategies, because it has the unique ability to engage, inspire and even influence consumers.
By using the right tone, the right rhythm and the right emotions, the voice actor effectively conveys a brand's message, building trust and ultimately prompting action. Voice over therefore plays a central role in strengthening brand or company awareness.
It has the capacity to evoke emotions and communicate complex information in a concise and impactful way, creating a personal connection with the audience.
Whether in advertising, product presentations, documentary narration, motion design videos, TV programmes, voice over, audiobooks, podcasts, animated films, video games, corporate and institutional films, mobile applications, TV and radio broadcasts, dubbing, toy voices or e-learning training, voice over is INDISPENSABLE!

How to choose the right voice over artist for your project?

To choose the "best" voice over artist for your needs, it is important to consider several aspects.
The quality of the voice is obviously the first criterion. The artist must have impeccable diction and articulation, and must be able to adapt their delivery to the desired context.
Avoid overly stylised or caricatured voices, like those sometimes heard in certain TV news reports — you know, that overly dramatic delivery that can undermine credibility.
Next, take into account the voice actor's experience. An experienced voice over artist will have a better understanding of the nuances of narration and will be able to deliver a more convincing performance.
You will also need to choose between a male or female voice. Despite the subjectivity of such a choice, male and female voices have different tonal qualities (soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto for female voices; tenor, baritone and bass for male voices) that can influence how your audience perceives your message.
Finally, it is important to find a voice over artist who can work with you with confidence, and who will be able to record your script within a tight deadline and to a professional audio standard.
Here is a video of a professional recording session by Frédéric Blindt at the Radio France Publicité studios:

Key factors when selecting a voice over artist

Once you have set your sights on a particular artist, there are a number of elements to check in order to ensure the collaboration runs smoothly.
The first is the artist's availability — whether for a studio recording in the city of your choice or a remotely directed home studio session, it is best to plan ahead as much as possible so that you have several date options.
Depending on the recording date agreed upon, make sure the final audio can be delivered via a server within 12 to 24 hours (or longer for very large volumes).
Next, if the recording takes place in a home studio, ensure that the artist has a professional environment in terms of soundproofing and acoustic treatment, as well as professional equipment — particularly with regard to the microphone, preamplifier and audio interface.
Agree with them on whether the audio should be cleaned of breaths and unwanted noises, or whether the file should be sent raw.
Finally, clarify their policy regarding retakes — in case a script change or an additional take is required at a later stage.

The benefits of working with a professional voice over

As a recognised professional, the voice actor will understand your brief in all its dimensions and will be able to ask the right questions to accurately identify all your needs in advance, in order to deliver an optimal result.
Thanks to their experience and expertise as a performer, they are able to record multiple versions of your script for a wider range of creative choices.
Moreover, if they have a properly designed home studio, they should also be proficient in voice over recording, production and editing techniques — which represents a real added value in terms of audio quality and turnaround speed.

Tips for running a successful voice over casting

Whether you are searching for a French voice over artist via a search engine, a voice over directory or an agency, and having refined and verified the elements mentioned above, several options are open to you.

• Either the demos on the artist's website have convinced you and you have no doubt at all — this IS the voice you need. In that case, it is as simple as picking up the phone: "Hello, I would like to book a recording session on... at..., it is for broadcast on... and our budget is..." Straightforward enough.
• Or you follow the same approach by shortlisting 2 or 3 different voices to discuss internally with your team or client.
• Alternatively, you can ask the artist(s) to record a short section of your script, so you can get a clearer idea of the result you are looking for.

Not all voice actors will agree to such a request, as it can be time-consuming, or because they do not always have the necessary equipment available.
That said, if you are undecided and in a hurry, this can be a useful solution — but in that case, it is preferable to request a 30-second to 1-minute sample, and to use this approach sparingly :-)

• Finally, an audition — regularly used for larger or longer-running productions — will allow you to direct the artist under the best possible conditions for a perfect result.

Voice over rates and budgeting

Let us consider 3 scenarios:

• You have a maximum budget in mind and communicate it to the artist, who will either accept or decline. This budget should account for the recording itself, the rights associated with the type and duration of distribution, and possibly the length of the script (for e-learning or voice over work, for example).
• The artist sets their own rate according to industry standards and their professional profile.
• For documentary, dubbing or voice over work, rates are governed by a collective agreement (DAD-R in France).

A thorough discussion of voice over rates requires a dedicated article; for that purpose, a voice over quote calculator is available here.
In the meantime, here are some general guidelines.
It is important to distinguish between:

• Flat-rate fees, which vary according to the project, the distribution scope and the artist chosen. The average range is between €200 and €1,000. We will not address low-cost rates in the region of €50, which are not considered professional or representative of the industry.
• Advertising rates (ranging from €300 to over €2,000 depending on the medium — TV, radio, cinema, web, social media — the territories covered and the period of use). On this topic, you may find an interesting article on the website of the French association "Les Voix" here: Voice over recording rates
• Rates governed by the DAD-R collective agreement, calculated per line and according to the distribution usage.
• E-learning rates (for example €0.20 per word with a minimum fee).

Bear in mind that a voice over artist is a professional and should therefore be remunerated according to their experience and industry standards if you want quality work and a relationship built on trust.
To go further in your search for rates with specific figures for calculating a voice over quote, you can use our quote calculator.

The process of hiring a voice over artist

In France, voice over artists — referred to as "intermittent" performers — are paid per session. This takes the form of a salary accompanied by a fixed-term employment contract (CDD d'usage), which covers the fee for the recording session and may include an additional amount for the assignment of rights over a defined period.
Hiring a voice artist (or dramatic artist or actor) is only possible if your company's main activity relates to live performance production or the audiovisual sector.
If you do not have the relevant industry classification code (NAF) and the applicable collective agreement required to engage intermittent performers, you will likely need to go through an agency, a production company or a studio — a structure that will invoice you directly and hire the artist on your behalf.
If you are a professional in the performing arts or audiovisual sector, payroll management services such as Movinmotion or Le chèque intermittent can simplify the process of engaging voice over artists.
It is advisable to keep up to date with current legislation in order to clearly understand your rights and obligations in this area.

The future of voice over: emerging trends and technologies (conclusion)

In an increasingly competitive sector, the number of voice actors has grown significantly, particularly since the COVID crisis.

As key players in a thriving audiovisual production landscape — where technological innovation and usage patterns are in constant evolution — new media continue to emerge.
New applications are appearing, marketing needs are growing exponentially, streaming is booming, podcasts are generating real enthusiasm, and the need for information along with the desire to express identity and values all point to a bright future for the voice over profession.

At the same time, artificial intelligence is beginning to make inroads into every field — and voice is no exception. AI is now part of our daily lives, and it will be necessary to learn to work alongside it. Synthetic voices will increasingly convincing in form, but... when it comes to substance — that is, the precise expression of an emotion at a given moment, a mood, a subtle pause, a breath that reflects a specific context or a particular word, an imaginative nuance, a fleeting transition — in short, everything that truly brings a text to life — that remains unmistakably the expression of something living, and therefore human.

If you are looking for a voice over that gives real meaning to your message, you are far better off calling on an experienced voice over artist!
Let us close with this quote from the great French actor Louis Jouvet, whose intelligence was anything but artificial:

«How hard one must work to appear natural!» — Louis Jouvet

Naturally.