Glossary
Voiceover
Also called: Voice-over, VO, Narration
Definition
A voiceover is narration recorded separately from the visuals and played over them, spoken by a narrator who is usually not seen on screen.
What “voiceover” means
In an explainer, the voiceover carries the explanation and the visuals illustrate it. It is typically recorded from a written script, either by a human voice actor, by the creator, or with text-to-speech. The tone of the voice (calm, energetic, authoritative, warm) sets the mood of the whole video, often more than the music.
Writing for voiceover differs from writing for reading. Sentences are shorter, numbers are rounded, there are no parentheses, and the text has to sound natural out loud. The pace, usually measured in words per minute, determines how much you can say in a given length.
Why it matters for short explainer videos
In a motion design explainer, the voice is also the clock. Animations are timed to words: the number appears when it’s said, the arrow moves on the verb. A clear, well-paced voiceover gives the visuals a rhythm to follow; a rushed one leaves no time to read anything.
Voiceover also makes faceless formats possible: you can publish explainers without appearing on camera at all.
Example
Script line: “Your request travels about 5,000 miles. Or just 50, if there’s a server nearby.” In the recording, the narrator leaves a short pause after “miles”, stresses “50” and “nearby”. In the animation, a long line shrinks to a short one exactly on “just 50”.
In Motiongist
How Motiongist handles it
Every Motiongist video is narrated by one of 8 voices, each of which speaks all 10 video languages. On paid plans, videos use a final, commercially licensed voice; on the free plan and for previews, a similar free draft voice is used for testing. The narration is timestamped word by word, and the animation and captions follow those timings.
You choose the voice and write or edit the script. You can’t upload your own recording or clone a voice. Listen to the voices on the voices page.