Read The Art of Voice Acting: the art and business of performing for voice over Online
Authors: James Alburger
If you think voiceover work is for you, you may have some decisions to make. Not right this minute, but soon. Do you want to do voiceover work as a full-time career, or as a part-time avocation? What niche area of voiceover
do you want to focus on? Should you move to a different city in search of work in your niche area? The choices may be many and may not be easy!
Doing voiceover work on a full-time basis is unlike just about any other job you can imagine. You must be available on a moment’s notice when you are called for an audition. In addition, you must constantly market yourself, even if you have an agent.
Full-time voiceover work may also mean joining a union, and possibly even moving to a larger city—if that’s where your destiny leads you. Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and many major cities are strong union towns for voiceover work, and you must be in the union to get well-paying jobs in these cities. Although the possibility for nonunion work does exist in larger cities, it may require some additional effort to find it.
In smaller cities, the union for voiceover, AFTRA (the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), is not as powerful, and there is a much greater opportunity for freelance voiceover work than in bigger cities. You’ll find more about unions in
Chapter 21
.
OK—you’ve decided eating is still a pleasurable pastime, and you’ve made the wise decision that you would rather not quit your day job just yet. So, how about doing voiceover work on a part-time basis? Good question!
Doing voiceover work part-time is quite possible, although you probably won’t be doing the same kind of work as you would if you devoted more time to it. You will most likely do some corporate/industrial work, telephone messages, and smaller projects for clients who have a minimal or nonexistent budget. Some of your work may be voluntary, barter, or you will do it just because you want the experience. The pay for nonunion freelance work is usually not terrific—but freelance work is a very good way of getting experience doing voiceover. You can gradually build up a client list and get copies of your work that you can use to market yourself later on when, or if, you decide to go full-time.
The biggest problem with doing voiceover work part-time is that you may find it difficult to deal with last-minute auditions or session calls. If you have a regular full-time job, you usually will need to arrange your voiceover work around it, unless you have a very understanding employer. Part-time voiceover work can be an ideal opportunity for the homemaker or self-employed individual with a flexible schedule.
With the advent of Internet audition services and advanced computer technology, it has become very convenient to record auditions and paid projects in a home studio and submit them as MP3 files via the Internet.
Doing voiceover work can be very satisfying, even if you only do an occasional session. Yet, the day may come when you decide to go for the big money in L.A., Chicago, or New York. In the meantime, don’t be in a hurry. Make the best of every opportunity that comes along and create your own opportunities whenever possible. Networking is extremely important! You never know when you might be in just the right place to land that important national spot that changes your entire life!
On the surface, voiceover appears “easy,” but in reality there is a LOT to learn! Here’s a list, inspired by VO pro Michael Minetree, of some essential things you need to know about voiceover before you take the leap:
When you stand in front of a microphone as voice talent, your job is to effectively communicate the message contained within the words written on the paper in front of you. You are a storyteller. You are an actor! The words, by themselves, are nothing but ink on a page. As a voice actor, your job is to interpret the words in such a way as to effectively tell the story, bring the character to life, and meet the perceived needs of the producer or director. I use the words “perceived needs” because many producers or writers only have an idea in their heads. The producer may think he knows what he wants, when, in reality, he hasn’t got a clue as to the best way to deliver the message. This is where your acting skills and performance choices come in. You may find yourself in the enviable position of solving many of your producer’s problems simply by performing the copy in a way that you feel effectively communicates the message. In other words, your acting abilities are the vital link between the writer and the audience.
You are the actor playing the role of the character written in the script. On the surface, that may sound like a fairly simple task. However, mastering the skills to create interesting and compelling characters on a consistent basis can be very challenging. Unlike stage performers, who may have several days, weeks, or months to define, internalize, and develop their characters, you may have only a few minutes. You must use your best acting skills to deliver your best interpretation of the copy—and you must do it quickly. Your job is to breathe life into the script, making the thoughts of the writer become real through the character you create. You need to be able to quickly grasp the important elements of the script, figure out who you are
talking to, understand your character in great detail, find the key elements of the copy, and choose what you believe to be the most effective delivery for your lines. Every script is written for a purpose and you must be able to find and give meaning to that purpose, regardless of how or where the voice track will be recorded. In many cases, especially in studio sessions, the producer or director will be coaching you into the read that gets you as close as possible to his or her vision. However, with the increasing prevalence of high quality home studios, more and more voice talent are being asked to provide self-directed, unsupervised, sessions.
One mistake made by many beginning voiceover performers is that they get nervous when they approach the microphone. They are focused on their voice, not their performance. They fidget, stand stiff as a board, cross their arms, or put their hands behind their backs or in their pockets. It is impossible to perform effectively under those conditions.
What is needed is to get into the flow of the copy, breathe naturally, relax, have fun, and let the performance take you where it needs to go. Discover your character and let that character come into you so that you can create a sense of truth and reality for the character. If you think too much about what you are doing, your performance will usually be forced and sound like you are acting. When you allow yourself to “become the character” you will be able to “live the voice.”
Every message (script) has an intended (or target) audience. Once you understand who the audience is and your role in the copy, you will be on your way to knowing how to perform the copy for the most effective delivery. Figure out who you are talking to. Narrow it down to a single individual and relate to that person on an emotional level. This is the first step to creating an effective performance and a believable character.
Chapter 10
, “The Character in the Copy,” goes into greater detail about analyzing the various kinds of copy and creating characters.
Now that you know some of the basics for creating an effective voiceover delivery, here’s a script for you to work with. Read it through once to get a feel for the copy. Notice that you instinctively make some choices as to how you will deliver the copy. Deliver the script using the choices you make. Then listen to track 11 on the CD.
It happens everyday … in hotels, restaurants and other public buildings … without warning. It’s responsible for 20,000 fatalities – and it’s the second leading cause of death and disability. Slip and fall accidents – learn how to protect your rights if it happens to you. Tonight at 11 on Eye Witness News.
Do you think your delivery achieved the objective of communicating the message effectively? An effective voiceover delivery requires looking beyond the words of a script to dig out the details and subtlety hidden in the message. Now, read it a second and third time, looking for the following points. Finally, read it out loud for time, to see how close you can come to 15 seconds.
OK, how did you answer the questions? By the way, there are no wrong answers! Each of your answers represents a choice that ultimately results in your personal interpretation of the story. This spot is a TV promo, so there are visuals that go with the copy. You might know that from the format of the script, from a notation at the title, from written directorial notes, or from the producer telling you. Sometimes, however, you will not have anything more than the words on the page. Here’s an interpretation of this copy:
All these answers combine to provide the basic information you need to effectively deliver the copy. The visual image is important because it sets the scene, a solid framework for your character, and helps establish the attitude of the spot. As an actor, you need to know these things. Otherwise, you are just reading words on a page—and that’s boring!
With experience, you can analyze a script in a matter of seconds, just from a single read-through. You’ll instantly know what you need to do in your performance to make the message both interesting and compelling. Trust your instincts and use what you have learned from your interpretation to give depth to your character and life to the copy. Above all, bring your unique personality into the copy and everything else will come naturally.
It can be argued that virtually all voiceover is “selling” something. Commercials sell products or services, or try to get an emotional response to motivate action; instructional products sell procedures; audio books sell entertainment; and so on. Acting is the means by which any of these messages can be effectively communicated, the story told, and the listener motivated to take action. So, you are not only a performer, but you are also a salesperson. For the time you are in the recording studio, you are an employee of your client’s business. In fact, you, as an actor, are the advertiser’s top salesperson and must present yourself as a qualified expert. And you, as the character, must be perceived as real and honest.
Your acting job may only last a few minutes in the studio, but that performance may be repeated thousands of times on radio or TV. Your voice may be heard by more people in a single minute than might walk through the front door of a business in an entire year. But even though you may be a salesperson, you must never sound like you are selling. The credibility of the product or advertiser—and the success of an advertising campaign—may be directly related to the authenticity, effectiveness, and believability of your performance. Tell the story… Never sell it!
Are you beginning to see there’s more to this thing called voiceover than merely reading words on a page? And we’re just getting started!