verissima

by Jerk with a Camera

Getting Started in Voice Overs

When getting started in voice overs, aspiring talent quickly discover that it takes more than just a great voice to succeed in this highly competitive market. Although at first glance, there may seem to be few doors that open for amateur talent seeking voice over work opportunities, the avenues for personal growth, talent development and networking are overly abundant. You just need to know where to find them.

The notion of becoming a voice over talent usually starts with a compliment from a friend, colleague, or family member. When someone hears similar sentiments from people outside of familiar circles, the individual is inspired to make an action plan and thoroughly research the voice over profession.

Aspiring voice over talent can find a wealth of resources and guidance from a variety of sources on the Internet. There are several good websites online that share information about the industry, providing solutions to nearly every “Getting Started” voice over question and career development resources. These resources may manifest themselves in an array of business templates, strategies, and eBooks.

If an aspiring voice over talent desires to fully explore voice overs as a career, there are multiple ways to research the field without having to leave the comfort of home. Some of these research methods include visiting the websites of professional voice over talents, listening to voice-over demos online, and reading up on what industry leaders have to say, including coaches, agents, authorities, and casting directors.

There’s an abundance of voice over blogs online that reveal what it is really like to be in professional voice overs, providing excellent insight into what can be expected if one were to enter the voice over profession. Many professionals freely discuss their career objectives and thoughts about the industry as a whole, personal observations and their career progress.

Voice overs are very busy not to mention employed in an extremely popular field. The majority of professional voice overs do not have time to lead an aspiring talent by the hand and personally consult them regarding their voice and potential career prospects. Professionals often link to other helpful blogs or industry websites. These links are available to aspiring talent as a means to discover more comprehensive resources that will aid them in starting out as a voice over talent.

Although reading the blogs or visiting websites of professional voice overs may be a fun, leisurely activity, your research should lead to more hands-on and educational endeavors such as contacting a voice-over coach.

A voice over coach will be able to identify what your voice type is, the kind of work you’d be best suited for, and will assist you in developing your vocal range, both artistically and technically.

Voice Over Coaches

Make an appointment with a voice over coach. They will be happy to assess your voice and set up a training program for you at their studio. Going with a private voice over coach has its benefits. Who else could provide an objective opinion on your voice, tailored vocal instruction, specific guidance, and career resources on such a personal level?

A voice over coach will help focus in on your strengths and develop your talents. Sometimes it takes someone else to let you know where you shine as a voice actor and the areas of voice acting that aren’t necessarily your forte.

A voice over coach will also be able to identify your specialty skill sets, and if you would like, help you to plan and record your voice over demo. These preliminary efforts will define your voice over career at present and help you to provide extraordinary voice over services to your future clients.

As with anything valuable to your development, a voice over coach will charge fees for their services. When selecting a voice over coach, don’t let their coaching fee be the sole deciding factor regarding whether you study with them or not. The fees that you pay should also provide you with a comfortable learning environment, a teacher who you can relate to, and the voice over skills that you want to acquire.

Workshops and Tele-classes

Some people prefer to meet in person, taking lessons in a group. A workshop is an open class that is run by a voice over instructor and attended by voice overs who want to improve particular skills, such as character voice acting, for example.

These workshops are often followed by a question and answers period. The environment is often more casual and free-spirited than a private lesson and enables you to network with people within your field, perhaps even meet colleagues who will become your friends.

Usually there is a cost for participating in a workshop to pay for the instructors’ time, materials, and the venue. These fees can vary, but expect that in most cases, there will be a fee for the workshop.

Tele-classes are taught over the telephone. When participating in a tele-class, all you need to do is dial in to the phone number that your instructor will provide you with, and enter the class number for your specific class. Be sure that you do this on the date and at the time that your class is scheduled for.

There may be special code that you’ll need to dial after calling in to be routed to the right tele-class, similar to how you would check the numbers on the door if you were looking for a classroom in a building. Once you’re in on the call, the instructor will greet everyone, introduce the program, start teaching, and then have question and answers period. Bear in mind that there may be a fee associated with a tele-class.

These classes are convenient for voice over talent who do not live in large centers or have access to voice over coaches in their city.

Voice Over Communities

If you would like to network with other voice overs and aspiring talent, you can glean information and feedback from each other in person, through Internet chat groups, or by posting on voice over support forums.

These kinds of communities of professional and aspiring voice overs chat with each other about vocal technique, recording equipment, job opportunities, and more.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of joining a peer support group is that you can share experiences with fellow voice overs, learn at your own pace, and if you’re in a position to do so, give insight to other voice overs.

Voice Over Books

One of the easiest and fastest ways to get a handle on the voice over field and voice industry as a whole is to sit down and read a good book. Aside from either going to the local library or ordering a book or voice-over eBook online, there isn’t much legwork.

Good voice-over books will help you with technique and some also guide you from the ground up, including how to brand yourself, how to record voice-overs, be found on the Internet, promote your voice, make money as a voice over, operate your business, and give you the encouragement you need to get going.

Another good idea is to locate a royalty-free voice over script collection. You will need one to record your first voice over demo from. These scripts are also good for practicing with either on your own or with a voice teacher.

Getting started in voice overs is more complicated than one would think, but for those who succeed in this career field, it is one of the most satisfying, flexible, and lucrative professions in the world.

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by Jerk with a Camera

An Overview of the Voice Over Industry

Voice over is a very distinct niche within the entertainment and audio recording industries.

Similar to an ecosystem, there is a natural order of things and diverse relationships that take shape, many of which are symbiotic, or, mutually beneficial to the parties they involve.

Take humans and trees for example.

Trees produce the oxygen we need to breathe. When we exhale, or breath leaves our bodies, carbon dioxide is produced as a result. Following our exhalations, the trees then breathe in our CO2, which is their source of air, and the cycle thus continues as they instinctively produce more oxygen rich exhalation for us to inhale. We then exhale carbon dioxide and the tree is nourished… you get the picture.

Just as in nature, many relationships within voice over are complementary and there are very few self-serving relationships. For those that do exist, they are a necessary part of our voice over ecosystem, and without them, there wouldn’t be a balance.

That is just the nature of things.

Let’s take a look at the roles we’ll be profiling this week with a brief overview on each, starting at the base of the ecosystem.

Voice Actors

A voice actor is the producer of the creative vocal work that is recorded and used for a variety of applications including commercials for radio, television, telephone, podcasts, video games and more. The voice actor uses their natural gifts, predominantly their voice and mastery of it, to infuse life into the written word. A voice actor is a creator of voice overs, and a voice over is the audio component of a media application commissioned by a client. Voice actors are also known as voice talents, voice overs, voice over artists, VO, VA, narrators, announcers, orators, and so on.

Voice Over Coaches and Instructors

A voice over coach or instructor is a person who is either a teacher of voice, voice acting, or has extensive practical experience working as a professional voice actor. These people are trained to educate and are often associated with beginning voice actors or voice actors who are seeking to enrich or expand their voice over abilities through private coaching or workshops. There are fewer voice over coaches than there are voice actors and their profession is in many cases related to the theory of Publish or Perish. The nature of a voice over coach is to teach but this person may also perform or cast (pick) voices for other projects.

Audio Engineers and Producers

An audio engineer is a person who is highly skilled in the field of audio production, including recording, editing, mixing and mastering. As an audio engineer, this person is usually employed by a larger recording studio or can also be a freelance producer who works independently, running their own production studio. There are schools where people can be trained to acquire skills in this technical aspect of the voice over business. For voice actors who are not as savvy technology wise, these recording engineers and audio producers are heavily relied upon to help them produce their voice over demos or record broadcast ready work for clients.

Voice Over Agents and Talent Agencies

A voice over agent is a person who promotes and represents a voice actor, presenting their voice over work for consideration when a job that the voice actor is suited for becomes available. An agent can be independent or part of a talent agency that operates similarly to a talent agency, meaning a company that employs several people as agents to build a brand and manage a variety of talent, not just voice actors. Agents usually represent voice actors who are either union or non-union depending on the agreement an agent has and if they are affiliated with a union. Agents take a commission on the work they acquire for their voice actor clients, usually in the 10% – 15% range for their services; this could be a commission on top of what the voice actor makes or taken from the earnings directly. A Finder’s Fee is also a term that applies to some agents and agencies.

Casting Directors

A casting director, specifically a voice over casting director, is someone who has an ear for picking the best candidate for a particular job. It is the responsibility of the casting director to “cast” the right person in a role for a client who usually has little interest, ability, or lacks the confidence to “pick” the right voice to represent their company, project, or brand. The casting director wants to get the best possible performance out of an auditioning talent. It is their goal, in fact, to make a voice actor feel at ease because they need to evaluate all of their options in the best light to pick the most appropriate voice for their client’s campaign or project. A casting director charges a fee to the client for their time and expertise.

Unions

A union is a governing body that regulates terms of employment for their customers. Unions may take action on the behalf of their clients in cases where agreements are breached. A voice actor pays union dues or fees to be affiliated with a union in order to receive particular services, benefits, or opportunities exclusive to the union. While some unions have an open door policy allowing anyone to join so long as they meet membership fee requirements, there are other unions that are “invitation only” or other criteria. Being part of the union is not mandatory and there are more non-union voice actors in the world than there are unionized voice actors.

Voice Over Marketplaces

A voice over marketplace is a location, typically based online, where voice actors can feature their voices and audition for job opportunities to acquire voice over work. As the term “marketplace” implies, portals that perform this function connect buyers and sellers, for the purposes of this article, buyers and sellers of voice over services. Voice over marketplaces serve both the buyer and seller, and in some instances, facilitate communications and or transactions between the two. As a voice over marketplace consolidates both talent and job opportunities, it is an integral part of any voice actors marketing efforts as well as the most convenient and effective source for clients to find voice actors and buy their services.

Clients Who Purchase Voice Overs

Clients who purchase voice over services can be from any industry, country, and speak a variety of languages. Since the need for audio production is universal as well as the need for voice overs, the global market of clients creates an enormous demand for voice actors who provide quality voice over recordings to represent their company, organization, or event. Clients hire voice over talent to record for television, radio, podcasts, video games, audio books, film, animation, telephone, corporate presentations, and other purposes.

by Laughing Squid

Voice Prompts and Voicemail Greetings by Professional Voice Talent Boosts Image

More and more businesses who use voicemail and voice prompts for their phone system including  pbx, auto attendant  and IVR system developers are realizing that their  telephone voicemail and voice prompt recordings play a large role in impressing customers and bolstering their image. Those businesses and voice prompt developers who want their company to reflect a professional image are utilizing professional voice talent such as Lecia Macryn Voice Services www.Macryn.com who specialize in recording custom voice prompts and voicemail greetings for all types of phone systems, cell phones, auto attendant, pbx systems, and IVR (Interactive Voice Response).

Professionally recorded voice greetings and prompts help clients feel they are associating with a stable, established company and make a positive impression.  Callers are more apt to place more confidence in a company or phone interaction where the phone presence is confident, clear and professional. 

Voice greetings and voice prompts can be sent via internet in any format or recorded into any phone, including mobile/cell phones.  Lecia Macryn Voice Services, www.Macryn.com  works with small and large businesses, ivr developers, customer satisfaction survey companies, auto attendant/pbx systems, and all types of telephony applications and projects.  Most recording requests can be delivered same day, if needed and a free sample audition is provided as well to ensure the voice recordings are what the client wants.

Lecia Macryn Voice Services has been providing recordings for clients worldwide since 1993 and can accommodate the small business owner who has just one basic voicemail recording …to the most extensive voice prompt application entailing thousands of recordings,

Demos and more information is available at: www.Macryn.com or call Lecia Macryn Voice Services at (248) 288-2242.

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