You’ve already shot the postcard where the clay figure came to life frame by frame. Now all that’s left is to add sound! Today, you will learn how to voice a cartoon at home and try making it yourself! 🔊
Voiceover Types
Have you ever wondered what sounds accompany cartoons?
There are three types: musical, sound, and speech. Let’s learn more about them!
Music
🎵It sets the mood and the overall atmosphere of the scene. The music changes depending on the situation unfolding on screen: if a chase is happening, something tense and energetic plays; if the protagonist enters a new phase of life—something cheerful.
Sound Effects
💥These are all the sound effects happening in the scene. Footsteps, an explosion, rain, the whistle of the wind—all these sounds often have to be layered over already shot footage to make the world feel voluminous and more sonorous.
Speech
🗣️ These are character dialogue, as well as other sounds made by the characters—whether it’s laughter or heavy breathing from running. Even if a character isn’t speaking, a short «Hmm!» or «Ah!» can help bring the scene to life.
It is very important to maintain a balance between volume and silence.
The priority of sound types can change, but the standard order is as follows:
- dialogue
- sound effects
- music
Silence also works well to convey atmosphere—sometimes a pause before an important event makes it stronger, so don’t forget to let the audience «rest their ears.»
Assignment No. 1
Let’s try voicing a short scene from an animated film!
Choose a 1–2 minute clip from any cartoon and analyze what is happening on screen, then voice all three types of sounds (music, sound effects, and dialogue).
- To add musical accompaniment, you can sing the melody yourself or tap out a rhythm, or you can use pre-recorded background music.
- When voicing a character, try to do it yourself, but if there are multiple characters, you can ask your friends or parents for help.
- The most exciting part is the sound effects. This is where you can be creative and use any sounds you discover for the scene’s ambiance. For example, the sound of oil sizzling in a pan is very similar to the sound of rain—use such coincidences to voice any effects.
And start voicing your postcard! 🎵
And that concludes our course! Now you will be able to:
- learn claymation anywhere
- masterfully invent stories
- sculpt characters
- animate
- and even voice cartoons