Commercial Voice-Over Production Workflow for Itaú Bank

I've just unveiled the workflow of one of my most successful voiceover projects of self-directed commercial recordings.

In this Case Study,you'll see an example of real-world, efficient workflow in action and will listen to how 1 voice can create contrasting vocal designs for the same client.

Project's file

• Final Client: Itaú Bank.
• Intermediate Client: Vidmob.
• Scope & Deliverables: 13 campaigns (+40 pieces and variations).
• Usage: paid advertisement for a limited period throughout 2022 and 2023 on TikTok, Youtube, Instagram - Bumpers, Trueview, Stories, Feed, Reels, and more.
• Genre: Commercial, Advertisement.
• Techniques & Abilities: copywriting, vocal design, music selection, synchronization.
• Artistic Direction: I was given freedom all the time, with minimal direction. The adverts were recorded in self-directed sessions - without the client being online during the recording.
• Studio: Recorded in Amanda's Home-Studio.

João's Testimony

Commercial Demo Reel

Listen to or download this commercial demo reel with 3 examples of contrasting vocal designs I created for Itaú Bank's Advertisement Campaigns.

Case Study Webinar in Brazilian Portuguese

Amanda was invited by Full Sail University to a webinar where she shared some of the secrets and curiosities of this great advertising voice over project in Brazilian Portuguese.

Detailed Workflow

I’m going to cover the big picture of my default self-directed recording workflow for commercial voice-overs in Brazilian Portuguese. Throughout these 12 campaigns, we tested some tweaks in our workflow, and they all worked well for me and Vidmob.

Briefing

Every time we start a new campaign, I have access to the client briefing.

So you see, it was not the agency briefing, it was the Itaú staff briefing.

We are constantly in touch with all the project members, from Itaú, from Vidmob, and the producer.

Sometimes the briefing is very detailed, sometimes there are a lot of blank spaces for me to fill with creativity or with industry standards.

Script & Copywriting

It’s worth mentioning that for 2 of these campaigns, I also worked directly as a creative director and crafted the copy from scratch, based only on the briefing.

Alternative phrases

I or the other copywriter usually suggested alternative phrases for variation and we also tracked ad performance based on those variations.

So the recordings needed to be very well organized and easy to browse through file titles.

Script changes

Sometimes the script changed after being fully recorded so being flexible and fast was crucial.

Music selection

For one campaign, with 2 different commercials, I also chose the music tracks.

By being a composer and music producer, I enjoy curating and advising about background music.

It allowed me to enter the early stage of the production line and get intimate with the music.

Take note: allowing the voice talent to sew the voice-over on the soundtrack with a high degree of detail and juxtaposition (if done right) will make all the difference in the final result.

Multiple takes

During the first campaigns, I was recording multiple takes for the producers to select the most interesting ones.

However, as we evolved and fastened our workflow, in the latest campaigns, I was entrusted of sending them a single, final take to be embedded in each video.

Synchronization & Time constraint

Most of the time I had to work strictly inside a time frame of 6, 10, and 15 seconds for each commercial and its cutdowns, which is very common for paid adverts.

So it was my job to plan the script pace, the script’s arc, energy, and plateaus, to match the video that was ready.

Having the music in advance was great to set the pace and the mood, and sometimes to make the voice dance with the music.

Turnaround time

For this kind of project, I have the faster turnaround time.

Sometimes I was sending audio files in a matter of 10 minutes after receiving their request.

It’s a demanding and peak-performance ecosystem, so that’s how we work. We must be accurate and fast.

Delivery

We exchange files through email and the Vidmob platform as well.

Sometimes I used my storage system that is securely hosted on my website.

As soon as we had the client’s approval, the ad was ready to run.