The Art of Voice Acting: the art and business of performing for voice over (3 page)
Read The Art of Voice Acting: the art and business of performing for voice over Online
Authors: James Alburger
This is a book about acting and performing for voiceover. Even though the focus here is on developing your talent for working in the world of voiceover, the skills and techniques you will learn can be applied to any situation in which you want to reach and motivate an audience on an emotional level.
Voiceover!
The term can be inspiring or intimidating. It can conjure up visions of a world of celebrity and big money. True, that can happen, but as you will learn in the pages that follow, the business of voiceover is just that—a business. It is a business that can be lots of fun and it can be a business that is, at times, very challenging work. And it can be both at the same time!
Voiceover is also an art! It is a highly specialized craft with skills that must be developed. The voiceover performer is an actor who uses his or her voice to create a believable character. The business of voiceover might, more accurately, be called the business of
voice acting
. It is most definitely a part of show business.
I’ll be perfectly honest with you right from the beginning. Working as a voice actor is not for everyone. It requires an investment of time, energy, persistence, and money to get started. And, perhaps, just a bit of luck. As the saying goes in show business: An overnight success is the result of 20 years of study and paying dues.
However… if you love to play, have the desire to learn some acting skills, can speak clearly, read well, don’t mind the occasional odd working hours, don’t take things too seriously, have a good attitude, can motivate yourself to be in the right place at the right time, and are willing to do what is necessary to develop your skills and build your business, this type of work may be just right for you. In addition, as I mentioned earlier, the skills and techniques of voice acting can be applied to any situation in which you want your audience to connect emotionally with the message you are delivering. These skills are not limited to radio and TV commercials.
This book shows you the steps to take to learn the performing skills necessary to be successful as a voice talent. It also has the information you need to get your demo produced and into the hands of those who will hire you. Study these pages and you will get a solid foundation that you can build on to achieve lasting success in the business of voiceover.
You
don’t
have to be in Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago to find voiceover work. Work is available everywhere. You
do
need to have the right attitude, the right skills, and a high-quality, professionally produced presentation of your talents, or the casting people won’t even give you a second look (or listen). If you master the techniques explained in this book, you will be able to present yourself like a pro—even if you have never done anything like this before.
Notice that I refer to the voiceover artist as voice talent, voiceover performer, or voice actor—never as “announcer.” This is because that’s exactly what you are—a performer (or actor) telling a story to communicate a message to an audience on an emotional level.
“Voiceover” is the common reference for all areas of performing in which the actor is not seen. However, this term misrepresents what the work actually entails. It tends to place the focus on the voice, when the real emphasis needs to be on the performance.
Announcers
read and often focus their energy on the sound of their voice, striving to achieve a certain “magical” resonance. Effective voice acting shifts the focus from the voice to the emotional content of the message. This requires knowledge, skill, and a love of performing. Focusing on your performance, instead of on the sound of your voice, helps you become more conversational, more real and more believable. In other words, this type of work is not about your voice… it’s about what you can
do
with your voice.
This is why acting is such an important aspect of good voiceover work. Talking
to
your audience conversationally is much better than talking
at
them as an uninterested, detached speaker. The best communication closes the gap between the audience and the performer and frames the performance with a mood that the audience can connect with emotionally. Many people have “great pipes” or wonderfully resonant voices. But it takes much more than a good voice to be an effective communicator or voice actor. In fact, a good voice isn’t even necessary—most people have a voice that is perfectly suitable for voice acting. What is necessary are the knowledge and skill to use your voice dramatically and effectively as part of a voiceover performance.
As with most businesses today, the business of voiceover is constantly evolving. The applications for voiceover work are growing every day and changing trends may require new or modified performing techniques. This revised, fourth edition has been expanded to include even more techniques, new scripts, more “tricks of the trade,” and lots of Internet resources. Still more information and resources can be found at
www.voiceacting.com
and
www.voiceacting.com/aovaextras
.
I began my adventure through the world of sound and voice acting when I taught myself to edit music at the age of 12. I’ve worked for several radio stations creating hundreds of commercials as engineer, performer, writer, and producer. I have also performed professionally for more than four decades as a stage and close-up magician. I put my ideas about performing magic to music in my first book,
Get Your Act Together— Producing an Effective Magic Act to Music
, which became a standard in the magic community. However, it was when I worked as a recording engineer in Hollywood that I began to realize what voice acting was all about.
In the nearly four decades since then, I have directed some of the top voice talent in the country, I have been honored as a recipient of 11 Emmy Awards
1
for sound design, and have received numerous awards for creative commercial production. I teach voice-acting workshops and seminars; speak professionally on how to improve performing skills and the effective use of radio advertising; and operate my own business as a voice actor, sound designer, and performance coach. But this book is not about me… it’s about giving you the tools you’ll need to succeed in voiceover.
As you read the pages that follow, I promise to be straightforward and honest with you. You will find techniques and tricks of the trade that you cannot find anywhere else. For those of you considering a move into the business of voiceover, you will learn what it takes to be successful. If you simply want to learn new ways to use your voice to communicate effectively, you will find a wealth of information within these pages.
I wish you much success—and please let me know when you land your first national commercial or big contract as a result of using the techniques in this book.
1
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Southwestern Regional Emmys awarded for outstanding sound design for television promos and programs.
For your continued training in the craft and business of voiceover, we invite you to consider The VoiceActing Academy Art of Voice Acting workshops, seminars, and personalized coaching.
We also invite you to join our VoiceActing Academy Conductor’s Club and subscribe to our VoiceActing News & Information Blog.
You’ll receive:
- Articles on the craft and business of voiceover
- Interviews with top voiceover professionals
- Access to free conference calls
- Dates and locations of our workshops and training events
- And much, much, more
And, when you’re ready to produce your voiceover demo, we’re here to help.
For more information, please visit
www.voiceacting.com
.
What Is Voice Acting?
We live in an age of information and communication. We are bombarded with messages of all types 24 hours a day. From 30-second commercials to hour-long infomercials; from documentary films, to video games; from telemarketing sales messages to corporate presentations; and thousands of others. Much of our time is spent assimilating and choosing to act—or not act—on the information we receive.
It is well-known among marketing and communications specialists that there are only two ways to communicate a message: intellectually and emotionally. Of these, the most effective is to connect on an emotional, often unconscious level. This involves drawing the listener (or viewer) into a story or creating a dramatic or emotional scene that the listener can relate to; in short, effective communication in really excellent storytelling. And the best storytellers create vivid imagery through a combination of interpretation, intonation, attitude, and the incorporation of a variety of acting skills. This is exactly what we do as voice actors! The voiceover (VO) performer, in fact, can be more accurately referred to as a voice actor.
Voice actors play a very important role in entertainment, marketing, sales, and delivery of information. It is the voice actor’s job to play a role that has been written into the script. To effectively play the role and thus sell the message, the performer must, among other things, be able to quickly determine how to best communicate the message using nothing more than the spoken word.
Chapters 5
through 10 cover these subjects in detail. For the moment, you only need to know that this type of work requires more from you than simply reading words off a page.
The purpose of voice acting is to get “off the page” with your message. Make it real—connect with your audience emotionally—and make the message memorable in the mind of the listener.
You can only do voiceover in one of two ways: either as a business or as a hobby. Both are completely valid approaches to voiceover, and this book will help in either case. However, the real focus on this book is in terms of how to work in voiceover as a business.
When most people think of voiceover, they think of radio and TV commercials. These are only a small part of the business of voiceover. There is actually much more to it.
Let’s begin with a simplified definition of voiceover.
Voiceover
can be defined as
any recording or performance of one or more unseen voices for the purpose of communicating a message
. The voiceover is the spoken part of a commercial, program, or other announcement that you hear, but do not see the person speaking. It could be anything from a phone message to a television commercial, sales presentation, instructional video, movie trailer, feature film, or documentary narration. It may be nothing more than a single voice heard on the radio or over a public address system. The production may include music, sound effects, video, animation, or multiple voices. In most cases, the message is selling something, providing information, or asking the listener to take some sort of action.
You hear voiceover messages many times every day, and you are probably not even aware of it. Here are just some of the many types of voiceover work that require talented performers, like you.
There are three basic categories of radio voiceover work:
- The radio DJ
—This is a specialized job that requires a unique set of skills. Most radio DJs are not considered to be voice actors. - Promo & Imaging
—Most radio promos are produced in-house, using station staff. Outside talent will be used for station imaging. - Commercials
—Most commercials are produced outside the station by advertising agencies. However, many radio stations will produce local commercials for their clients, usually with station staff.
Television stations use voice talent in three ways:
- Promotions Department—
Handles the station’s on-air promotion, including VOCs (voice over credits), promos, and marketing. Voice talent may be on staff, on contract, or booked through an agent. - Production Department—
This department is responsible for the production of commercials, programs, sales presentations and other productions. Voice talent may be on staff or hired per project. - News and Sales Departments—
News reporters handle their own voiceover for news stories. Sales will usually use on-staff VO talent or work through the Production Department.
Most TV stations have an established pool of voiceover talent on staff or readily available. Staff announcers may come to the station to record on a daily basis, or, more often, the copy may be emailed or faxed to the talent a day or so before it is needed. The voice actor records it in their home studio and delivers the track to the station for production, or it may be recorded at a local recording studio. Some TV stations are equipped with
ISDN
or Internet technology that allows for a live, high-quality recording of a voiceover performer in another city, or across the country.
There are literally thousands of locally produced audio and video presentations recorded each year for the business community. Here are just a few examples of corporate and/or industrial voiceover work:
- Telephony
—Messages-on-hold are what you hear while on hold. Also includes voice prompts (IVR) and outgoing messages. - In-store Offers
—Usually these are part of the background music program played over a store’s speaker system while you shop. - Sales and Marketing Presentations
—Video presentations that are designed to attract clients and promote vendors or products. Talent could be either on-camera or voiceover. You will often find these videos as ongoing product demos in department stores or shopping mall kiosks. - Convention and/or Trade Show Presentations
—These are similar to sales and marketing presentations, but usually target potential buyers at a convention or trade show. These are usually video presentations. - Training and Instructional
—As the name implies, these projects are designed to train personnel on anything from company policies and procedures, to the proper use of equipment. Most corporate presentations are rarely seen by the general public. - Web Learning—
The Internet has opened up an entirely new world of voiceover opportunities for online training and education.
This is a very specialized area of voiceover work. It’s definitely not for everyone, and it can be difficult to break into. Good animation voice actors can usually perform a wide range of character voices and have many years
of acting experience. Most animation voiceover work is done in Los Angeles, while anime and video game work is done in many cities.
This market for voiceover talent developed as a result of the explosion of computer-based CD-ROM games and instructional software. Some software manufacturers produce audio tracks for these products entirely in house, while others are produced by outside production companies.
Looping (recreating the background crowd ambience of a scene) and ADR (Automatic, or Automated Dialog Replacement) are specialized areas of voiceover work that require a high level of acting ability and often a talent for mimicking other voices. Film narration is common for documentaries, instructional, and marketing programs.
Recordings of books and magazines fall into two basic categories: commercial audio books for sale and recorded books or magazines for the visually impaired. Audio books of best-selling novels are often read by a celebrity to make the recording more marketable. However, there is a growing market for audio book projects that use unknown voice talent. Recorded books and magazines for the visually impaired may be produced locally by any number of service organizations or radio stations. The pay is usually minimal or nonexistent (you volunteer).
Most reading services prefer their “readers” to deliver their copy in a somewhat flat tone. There may be several people reading chapters from a book over a period of days. To maintain a degree of continuity in the “reading,” the readers are generally asked to avoid putting any emotional spin or dramatic characterization into their reading. This type of work is excellent for improving reading skills and acquiring the stamina to speak for long periods of time, but it limits your opportunities to develop characterization and emotional or dramatic delivery skills. Check your local white pages under Blind Aids and Services or contact your local PBS radio station and ask about any reading services they might provide.
The introduction of the iPod
®
by Apple Computer created opportunities for streaming audio podcasts on the Internet. Basically, a podcast is an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) streaming audio program that is designed to synchronize with subscriber’s computers. It is commonly used to provide news feeds and other audio content that is automatically downloaded to a
computer for listening later, at a convenient time. Many podcasts are also available online in the form of downloadable MP3 files.
Podcasting gives anyone with the ability to record audio on their computer an opportunity to record their opinions and original creations or performances for the world to hear. Many podcast programs are recorded by people who are not trained in the craft and performance of voiceover.
Web learning, or Internet-based, online training, is becoming very popular with many businesses that need to efficiently train a large number of people on a small budget.
Regardless of the type of voiceover work you do, there are several basic requirements:
- A decent speaking voice:
The days of the “Golden Pipes” are history! Voice acting is
not
about your voice—it’s about what you can
do
with your voice. - Excellent reading skills:
All voiceover work requires excellent reading skills. There is no memorization in voiceover work. - An ability to act and take direction:
You must be able to change your delivery and interpretation at the whim of the director. - Passion:
You must be willing to spend the time, energy, and money necessary to develop your acting and business skills, and market and promote your talent.