Anchoring: Voice Over

VOICE OVER

“Voice over" is simply a person reading a script - generally for Radio and Television commercials, narrations for instructional or promotional videos, audio books, or acting in animation, but not limited to those pursuits.

Being a successful voice actor takes time to figure out how to use your voice. It’s not just about your voice, but also how you use it. Although you use your voice in voice acting, it’s much more than just talking, and the craft can bring you a lifetime of enjoyment.

Today most voice actors work from home recording studios, away from the glitz and glamour. Voice actors generally rely upon their skills honed from years of working with casting directors, voice directors, producers, and instructors.

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO VOICE ACTING

IT'S ALL ACTING

Many people with a "good voice" think they can waltz in and start voicing ads for big brands or cartoon shows without any preparation, but here's the deal; it takes dedication, multi-faceted skills and, most of all, time.

It doesn't happen overnight so if you are really committed to trying your hand at it or, rather, your voice, then of all the things we could stress about getting started, it is the importance of training with a professional voice-over coach.

A voice-over coach will help you find your "signature voice." Your signature voice is that sweet spot where you sound the best. They will help you develop that style for the various niche markets that your voice is suitable for. They can also demystify the recording equipment you will need as a voice-over artist and will help you prepare your first voice-over demo. Your demo will be your calling card, comp card, and resume all in one so it is vital that you have it professionally produced.

You've likely gathered by now that there is more to voice-over than just having a "good voice." Whether you doing freelance voice work or work with an agent, or both, there are a number of complementary skills and attributes that can help to ensure you are headed in the right direction. Remember, skills you don't already possess can always be learned.

REQUIRED SKILLS

ACTING

Exhibiting acting skills.

TECHNOLOGY

Being comfortable with technology.

Acting Abilities

Do people hang on your every word when you tell a story? Are you able to mimic characters on television or in the movies? Do you enjoy reading out loud? Are you animated when you do, giving the characters different personalities as you read? If you answered "yes" to the above questions then you are in good shape because, whether you realize it or not, you are already exhibiting acting skills - and acting is the cornerstone of voice-overs.

Technology Prowess

Being comfortable with technology is important for voice-over artists today. While you don't necessarily need to be a recording studio tech-guru, it is important to understand how your equipment works and be comfortable using it. From recording gear to working with digital files and navigating the Internet, there are a few basics that every voice actor should have in their home studio.

Not exactly what you'd call technically inclined?

That's okay. If you typically run in the other direction when someone mentions technology, don't let that deter you from pursuing voice-over. You can hire someone who can help you with your studio setup. Find a reputable company who will explain how things work and why; such as V.O.StudioTech. You could also pursue training from local recording studios or, better yet, talk to a company that specializes in training home-based voice-over artists, such as Edge Studio.

Business Acumen

You are the CEO of YOU. Your voice is your product. You are the sales team, marketing team, customer service team and accounting team. Running your own freelance business means you will be responsible for all these areas and more.

VOICE OVER TRAINING

Voice over training is far more than just getting on a mic and talking — to enable yourself to have a successful career in the business, you need to get down and make sure the most important element is in tip-top shape: your voice.

Remember that cliche: “it’s now what you say, it’s how you say it?” That truism extends to the voice acting world, too. Take the time to improve your voice, your ability to convince people, and your commitment to the script.

Voice Over Training Tip 1: Speak Clearly

This is one of the no duh’s of voice acting. With any voiceover — no matter how fast — clarity is key. Every word needs to be heard by the listener; thus, any muddled phrase could destroy that.

Practice speaking with correct pronunciation and enunciation. It might feel a little “over the top” at first, but on the recording, it’ll sound just right.

Voice Over Training Tip 2: Speak With Confidence

A lack of confidence hurts everything, especially your voice over.

Own what you say. Speak it with all the confidence in the world. Imagine that you’re trying to karate chop through a cinderblock — any bit of doubt will lead to a broken hand, not a broken block. The same goes for odd voiceovers where you have to make a weird sound or voice.

Voice Over Training Tip 3: Mean What You Say

The last tip was about speaking with confidence; this tip is about speaking with connection to your material: you have to believe what you’re talking about.

When you speak with enthusiasm, people can hear the difference. It’s subtle, but truly resonating with your script makes your voice more believable and convincing.

Voice Over Training Tip 4: Kill Your Ego

To improve, surround yourself with people better than you. You’ll learn dozens of lessons you couldn’t have learned otherwise and take your craft to the next level.

Go to classes and workshops where everyone is more advanced in their career than you are. Listen to their feedback; it could be brutal, but it WILL make you better.

Voice Over Training Tip 5: Treat Your Voice With Kindness

Unlike a guitarist, pianist, or drummer, with voice over acting, your body is your instrument.

Watch how professional musicians take care of their instruments: they obsessively clean it, maintain it, fix any broken parts, and store it in a nice, comfortable place. How do you handle your instrument? What do you do to take care of it, maintain it, and keep it in pristine condition?

Here are some great tips:

Build the foundation with good breathing patterns — from your diaphragm, not your chest — so you prevent any unnecessary strain on your vocal cords.

Keep hydrated throughout the day. Drinking water with every meal and fill up a liter bottle and sip it periodically. It might seem like a lot of water, but most people are chronically dehydrated.

Avoid places where you have to shout over noise to be heard.

Sleep at least seven hours a night. A tired voice sounds bad. A tired body is also bad for your voice.

Avoid whispering. It’s hard on your voice and strains on your vocal cords.

Voice Over Training Tip 6: Warm Up

Start each morning with your warmups. Stretch your facial muscles. Go through your progressions. Do your lip rolls. Hum. Relax your neck muscles. Do your breathing exercises.

Even if you’re never spent time to warmup, just take five minutes in the morning to prep your voice. It’ll do wonders for your sound and the health of your instrument.

Voice Over Training Tip 7: Start “Sight Reading”

In music, sight reading is the ability to read a sheet of music — something that you’ve never seen before — and play it on your instrument.

For major projects that could take hours and hours — like performing the voice over for an audiobook or educational video — it could become needlessly time-consuming to read, reread, and reread the script again before starting your voiceover. Instead, practice speaking well during the first read through: it might take a while before your mouth and eyes start working in sync, but that blends nicely with our next tip:

Voice Over Training Tip 8: Practice

The best voice over artists can say thousands and thousands of words before they make a mistake. But it takes years to cultivate that skill. Practice makes perfect and the same goes with voice overs. Soon, you’ll get into the rhythm where your reading and speaking is so connected and flawless — you’ll save time, get more gigs, and reap the benefits for your career.

Voice Over Training Tip 9: Relax

This final tip could be the most important. Why? Because if you’re new in the business, it might seem like every audition or gig could be your last. Suddenly, everything is riding on these 20 or so seconds and that makes you super tense.

Take a deep breath from your belly and exhale. Smile. (You can actually hear it through the mic.) Feel confident your abilities and know that, no matter what, you’ve tried your hardest.