Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Voice Over Actor
Starting a Voice Over Studio
Working as a Voice Over Actor at Home
One of the biggest misconceptions about voice over acting is what we like to call the myth of the Golden Voice. Do you have to sound hugely resonant and deep like James Earl Jones, or authoritative like Don LaFontaine to make money in voice over acting? As a matter of fact, you do not.
There are many facets of the voice over acting career where, for example, a person with a distinctive voice can create a career, or where someone who finds it a snap to sound as if they are in a casual conversation when reading a script can carve a recurring market for their voice.
A “golden voice” is absolutely not essential when pursuing your future in voice over acting. Another common fallacy associated with a career in voice over acting is that a lack of a background in professional acting can harm your chances for a future. Not true! While some acting ability is a helpful and marketable talent to have, it is absolutely not a deal breaker.
Acting experience is something you can pursue over time to enhance your current ability to read a script, be expressive with your voice, and make your success as a voice over actor soar.
What if you have never worked in radio or television – does that prevent your future in voice over acting from happening? Absolutely not! Every voice over actor has to start somewhere.
Those voice over actors with names you recognize started out with no experience, the same as you are. Experience is something you have to go out and create for yourself; it is not an insurmountable obstacle. It is a simple hurdle that every aspiring voice over actor must jump at some point to get their career off the ground.
Do you live in a small town or a rural area? Are you afraid that voice over acting will require you to relocate to a larger city, or to a major entertainment hub city such as Los Angles or New York? That is patently untrue because voice over acting is a career you can build right from your own home, wherever that may be.
A rural or small town location can be easily overcome with the advent of modern technology, allowing you to set up a home studio, record your voice and market your self, all without having to leave the comfort of your own backyard.
So, what's voice over work (or acting)?
Any time you hear a person’s voice without seeing the actor, you are witnessing voice over work. Not all voice over work is considered voice over acting, however although your market as a professional (especially when you are first establishing your name as a viable voice over actor) will certainly include some basic voice over work.
To be what is typically considered a voice over actor you need to be able to create a character for your project or product that you can sustain with your voice alone for the entire time you have your listeners’ attention. As a voice over actor, you can choose to use your own home studio, rent one or work at your client's premises, such as:
Production houses (videos, commercials and films)
Corporations (training videos or audios)
Book publishers (audiobooks and info products)
Radio stations (announcers, commercials and radio shows)
Educational institutions (teaching new talents)
Software companies (video game effects)
As a voice actor, you don't need to educated at an Ivy League school, not even at a community college, which is the beauty of this career. You can also work from home by using portable equipments and can easily set up a home studio. All you need is some vocal coaching and, perhaps, attending some vocal acting workshops. Reliable equipments would help as well.
The key is choosing the right "specialization" for your particular voice and acting talent (if you choose the "acting" path).
Today, breaking into as a voice over actor is easier than before. With sufficient preparation on what you're going to encounter, you should be able to break into and succeed in this growing field with confidence.
StyleCareer.com Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Voice Over Actor contains most, if not all, the information needed to secure your first gig. It also prepares you to begin your own home studio, which allows you to take orders from all over the world.
As a voice over actor, your typical gigs include:
Commercials
Announcements
Audiobook readings
Video trainings
Audio trainings
Web-cast announcements
Web-cast trainings
Cartoon characters
Movie characters
Translated movie characters
Special effects
Video game characters
This eGuide provides insightful information, advices and tips for anyone who is contemplating to become a voice over actor. Numerous hard-to-find resources are included to help you locate pertinent information.
Do You Know?
U.S. Department of Labor Statistics:
The median earnings for Announcers in the year 2002 were between $7.13 and $15.10 per hour. Those announcers with more experience and education earned as much as $24.92 in 2002 in some markets.
The Actors, Producers and Directors category had broader, less specific numbers. They implied that a voice over actor or producer who was working at union scale could earn in the range of $683 per day
Based on our forecast, in 2006, an entry-level voice over “announcer” can expect to earn anywhere from $15 to $20 per hour. In the second category, a voice actor who is a member of a union can expect to earn $600+ to $750+ per day.
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