Immigration ignited much debate in the 2016 presidential campaign and voice actors employed in these political ads became the fuel that fanned or flagged the flames. Like another polarizing subject, climate change, immigration positions are often fraught with emotion. In my career voicing political ads I’ve found that when delivering messages from both sides of a heated argument, such as who gets to call this country home, I am often called on to employ elements of acting.
Experienced actors are trained to break down a story into its essential elements, embody characters in a real, believable portrayal and possess numerous skills needed to move an audience. This is true in every medium – film, television, on stage, and even in advertising – but especially in voiceover, where the actor doesn’t have a physical world to leverage in the performance and must rely on only their voice to personify the entire world of that character, acting training is fundamental.
The Fourth Wall in Political Ads
These days the subject of immigration, walls, and their construction can be a touchy subject. But the wall I’m referring to here isn’t a physical one. What I’m talking about here, is a theater construct called the Fourth Wall. It refers to the idea that actors must pretend that the audience does not exist and that they are truly immersed in the story. In theater, this allows the audience to maintain suspension of disbelief and feel they are also immersed. The idea is that in addition to the three walls of the stage, a “fourth wall” is built that exists between the actors and the audience, and doing anything to acknowledge the audience or remind them they are watching a play “tears down” this barrier.
In the course of voicing immigration ads, as with other polarizing subjects, often there is a desire to directly engage the audience. Rather than portraying a scenario, or simply providing information or argument, the voice over is acknowledging that an ad is playing and figuratively saying “hey, you, interested voter (or concerned fellow citizen), can we talk?”. Almost like a hand reaching out and tapping them on the shoulder. This removal or destruction of the fourth wall barrier between issue and voter is quite effective and can subtly influence the voter and inspire trust.
Telling Difficult Stories – Political Testimonial as Insightful Monologue
Another technique often used in political ads is a testimonial, where someone affected by the issue or candidate being discussed is telling their story. In theater, often characters deliver what is called a monologue which is a moment when a single character has a long speech, often to expound on emotions rather than move the plot forward. Knowing how to speak someone else’s truth and convey their emotions honestly is a master level acting skill.
Regularly in the course of casting dramatic movies or plays , actors are chosen based on who will be best suited to handle the difficult stories and characters and portray them as real people in real situations, be they villain or hero. Here too, when casting for a position advertisement discussing an issue with entrenched demarcation lines, like immigration, finding a professional political voice actor to communicate a testimonial is crucial.
A cornerstone of the immigration debate is deciding who “gets to be American”. This discussion is foundational to who we are as a country. Therefore, the political actor, no matter their personal beliefs about immigration, has to find the humanity in the monologues of the immigrant, the citizen, the border patrol agent, the DACA recipient… and the harder the story is to tell, the better the actor needs to be to tell it truthfully and respectfully.
The Sound of Silence – Knowing How to Employ Pauses Effectively
Often in the course of debating an issue, silence can be an effective tool. Taking a moment to pause, gather in emotions, consider the next words is a powerful, non-verbal communication tool. This too, is a technique rooted in theater. A dramatic pause is often employed to give a moment for the audience to consider what has just been said and have their own emotional reaction to it. Employing pauses in voiceover requires nimble and dextrous acting skills to relay with just the voice that there is a moment for consideration, instead of just a break in the dialog. The voice over actor needs to be able to allow space for the listener to have an emotional connection to the messages being delivered and this is especially true with such potent subject material.
What it means to be an American is often alluded to, or outright prescribed in political discourse. It’s one of the reasons we’ve gone to war, fought for independence, fought amongst ourselves and are still divided over how immigration is managed. Amidst such emotional discourse, it is extremely effective to employ a voice actor who is expert in breaking down the message and embodying the message with a powerful theatrical skillset.