One of the most rewarding careers in the world is that of a voice-over artist. Not only will you be able to work from home, but you can also set your own schedule and get the opportunity to voice unforgettable characters. However, if you are new to voice-over acting, you might be overwhelmed and unsure where to start. This article will take a look at 4 tips specifically for those new to voice-over acting.
How to Find Work
The first tip on this list for voice-over artists new to voice acting would be how to find work. The primary reason is that you want to grow your portfolio as quickly as possible since a good-looking portfolio lands work itself, and there are many ways to do this. However, the easiest would be through a voice-over agency such as Voquent because clients will be the ones searching for you. Of course, you can also turn to other online sites that require auditions and frequent networking, too – the more revenue streams, the better.
Breathe Effectively
Do your research. The next tip you should focus on as a new voice-over artist would be breathing, and more specifically, breathing effectively. Like singers, having air in your lungs is instrumental to delivering the right emotion at the right volume and timing. You will strain your vocal cords and produce shallow vocals if you don’t breathe effectively. The internet offers a variety of voice-over training and courses to help you on your way to recording professionally. Before picking up any bad habits, it is essential to begin working with the proper techniques.
Give an Acting Class a Go
Regardless of how unique your voice is, voice-over acting is acting at its core. This means you should do your best to get the fundamentals down, which also means that you should give an acting class a go. There are many ways to do this, from attending actual physical courses to online ones, attending workshops, or watching YouTube tutorials. Once you have taken a few acting classes, you can refine your skills until you think you’re ready. Practice makes perfect.
Four things to Focus on
When it comes to voice-over acting, there are primarily four things that you need to focus on to do well. These are confidence, voice quality, endurance, and versatility.
- Endurance: Sometimes you will be in the booth for hours, and sometimes you will be working every day on larger projects with a quick turnover, so it’s vital to improve your endurance to deliver great work continuously.
- Voice Quality: Another important aspect is voice quality, which is how good your enunciation and clarity are. This is essential for all voice-over work, from characters to B2B.
- Confidence: The one thing that makes a character convincing is the confidence the voice-over actor has in embodying them over themselves. As previously mentioned, voice acting is acting.
- Versatility: You should always try to deliver as much emotion as required. Since the audience cannot see many voice-over mediums (such as audiobooks), they will be relying on your voice alone to understand the emotional context of the situation. For this reason, over-acting is often necessary.
Final Thoughts
Lastly, the most essential thing you can do as a new voice-over actor is to study the mediums you will be working with. You never know what job is next, so studying a wide range of content, from voice-overs in animations to documentaries is the key to improving and finding enough work.
