Building and sustaining a career within the voice industry
The world of voice over is an extremely competitive industry and
to build and sustain a career requires a lot of time and commitment. Whether
you are a novice or a veteran, this article will provide the tips you need.
Keep in mind that simply reading these pointers is useless if you don’t apply
them to your career. Also remember it is important to make time for your family
and friends too. Without a personal life you are less likely to succeed.
Read regularly
If you want to become a writer you must read regularly. The same
rule applies to being a regular speaker. It is crucial to build your reading
skills so take time out of your day to read out loud for two to three hours. If
you are not used to doing this you will require more re-takes which will cost
your client time and money.
Find your niche
Due to the popularity of the Internet there is more competition
than ever in the voice acting profession. Voice talents can now work from their
own home studios. While this is good news, (you don't have to head to L.A to be
the next big thing) it does mean that being jack-of-all-trades simply won't cut
it, clients will be looking for the best man for the job. Therefore it is
important to find your niche. The majority of successful voice actors have a
niche whether it is impersonating child-like voices for anime or being able to
voice villainous monsters. Find that niche and hone it.
Experiment
It is important to find your niche but if you haven't quite found
it then experiment. Audiobooks have become a prominent part of voice-over work.
If your strength is in producing a slightly flat, storytelling tone then this
could be the area for you. Even if you decide voicing Audiobooks is not what
you want to do, you will have gained excellent experience in reading scripts
and that can only serve to help you in the studio.
Act professionally
If you want to be successful you have to view voice acting as a
serious profession. Of course, it is vital that you love what you do but don't
forget that a career in voice work requires a lot of training, expense, energy
and dedication. Part of being a professional is opening your mind to new ideas.
You might be set on a particular voice but if your client wants it changed you
must be ready to adapt your voice to meet their needs.
Train
Don't produce your demo until you are fully confident in your
abilities. Your demo will cost money and if you rush into it you may come to
the daunting conclusion that you need to redo it. Ensure that you have received
sufficient training first. Whether you are new to the industry or an oldie- you
must find time to train and improve.
Avoid being self-conscious
In order to achieve a successful performance you must approach the
mic with confidence when entering the voice over recording studio. Don't become under-confident because
you are playing a character. Put your focus into the performance itself. Memorizing the first line of a script is an excellent way of ensuring that you
can instantly take control of the flow of your character's conversation.
Remember this before stepping up to the mic.
Connect with your audience
If you get voice-over work that involves advertising a product,
remember that the idea is to build an emotional connection with your audience
and not to outright sell the product. If the audience becomes aware that you
are trying too hard to make them spend money then the game is over.
Avoid imitation
Hank Azaria's Moe sounds great, when Hank Azaria performs him. You
don't become successful by being a tribute act. Alfred Hitchcock is considered
an auteur because every film he directed had that unique Hitchcock stamp to it.
You need to achieve this with your voice. This certainly does not mean keeping
the same voice for everything you do, but it does mean finding your niche and
adapting it.
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