EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VOICE OVER
How do I get started? |
There’s a little more to voice acting than plugging a mic into your computer and calling yourself a Voice Over Actor. First off there’s the last part of that phrase..”Actor” YOU NEED TO ACT and you need to have some training to get you there. Any great actor in TV or film has taken a lot of classes and instruction to get where they are. ANY JOB REQUIRES TRAINING even if you’re slinging burgers there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it and they will train you! Find some one who makes their living off voice over and get an assessment on your talent. It’s like asking a successful friend or business acquaintance if they’d take a look at your resume.
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Finding The Right Voice Over Coach
It’s not hard to “vet” someone and see if they honestly offer what you need. The key word here? “Honestly”! There are an extraordinary amount of folks who call themselves “Voice Over Coaches” and make ridiculous claims about how little time it will take , you should make a demo right now and you’ll be making thousands of dollars in just a couple of months. You don’t believe that crap at 2:00AM on an infomercial so why would you believe this?
If some one claims to be a VO Coach they should have at LEAST 5-7 years under their belt as a full-time Voice Actor. I’d much rather be working with an Attorney who’s been doing this for 40 years than someone whose never tried a case.
Do your home work and find a Coach who’s reputable, has a body of voice over work you can verify and has your best interests at heart.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1246394/
If some one claims to be a VO Coach they should have at LEAST 5-7 years under their belt as a full-time Voice Actor. I’d much rather be working with an Attorney who’s been doing this for 40 years than someone whose never tried a case.
Do your home work and find a Coach who’s reputable, has a body of voice over work you can verify and has your best interests at heart.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1246394/
How do I know what I’m good at?
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A good Voice Over Coach will supply you with scripts in different genres to see where you fit. Commercial, Narration, Promo, Animation, Video Game, Radio Station Imagery, Explainer Videos, Toys. There are a ton of different styles as well..do you have a Mercedes Benz or Toyota Prius Commercial voice? Do you do silly cartoon voices or are you good at dialects?
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What Equipment Do I Need?You’ll need an updated computer (PC or Mac….I prefer Mac as that’s what virtually ALL Pro studios use) and recording software. Audacity is free recording software https://www.audacityteam.org/download/
Its a basic “no frills” program that works with Mac or PC. ProTools, Twisted Wave, Adobe Audition & Reaper are just a few of the other programs that a lot of VO Talent use. USB mics are the least expensive and you don’t need an interface https://www.sweetwater.com/c981--USB_Microphones A Condenser Mic sounds much better (Neumann, Sennheiser, Rode, AT) but they’re more expensive https://www.sweetwater.com/c105--Condenser_Microphones and they require an interface to work properly https://www.sweetwater.com/shop/studio-recording/audio-interfaces/ and you’ll need a decent pair of headphones https://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=headphones This is a basic recording set up for Voice Over. |
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When Should I Record My Demo?
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Take your time. One 1 hour coaching session doesn’t prepare you for anything Any Voice Over Coach who is also a Demo Producer will tell you when you’re ready but the bottom line is..”Do YOU feel ready”? Don’t get railroaded into something you’re not ready for!!! The Voice over business isn’t going away so again..TAKE YOUR TIME!
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This is just a sample of what your demo should sound like!
Pay To Play Voice Over Sites
These are internet sites where you pay a fee to be listed and sent auditions.
The average annual cost is between $300 and $500.The Pros are you can post your demos & Profile and jump right in.
The Cons are there’s no guarantee of work and the rates on most of these sites are very low. Also most Pay to Play Voiceover sites don’t vet talent so ANYONE can join which means there’s a lot more competition for every job.
Below are a few of the major Pay To Play Sites:
https://www.voices.com/ https://voice123.com/plans https://voiceovers.com/
https://www.voplanet.com/ https://www.bodalgo.com/en https://voicebunny.com/talent/#/
The average annual cost is between $300 and $500.The Pros are you can post your demos & Profile and jump right in.
The Cons are there’s no guarantee of work and the rates on most of these sites are very low. Also most Pay to Play Voiceover sites don’t vet talent so ANYONE can join which means there’s a lot more competition for every job.
Below are a few of the major Pay To Play Sites:
https://www.voices.com/ https://voice123.com/plans https://voiceovers.com/
https://www.voplanet.com/ https://www.bodalgo.com/en https://voicebunny.com/talent/#/
Voice Over Agents
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To get representation by a reputable Voice Over Agent an Agent must believe that you will make them money. Most Voice Over Agents charge 10% of the jobs they get you. In some cases if it’s a non-union job the Agent may charge 15-20% but NEVER more than that. Most big Talent Agencies in LA & New York require you to be a Union member https://www.sagaftra.org/membership-benefits
But there are quite a few Voice Over Talent Agents that represent both Union and NonUnion VO Talent
Marc Graue, the Award Winning Voice Over Demo Producer and "GO TO" VO Coach in Hollywood, CA. is available for Voice Over Coaching via Skype, FaceTime, or Zoom. You can Follow Marc:
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ONE HOUR PRIVATE SESSIONS $175.00 1/2 hr. $130.00 OR 4 ONE HOUR CLASSES FOR $600.00
EMAIL: [email protected] OR CALL ME DIRECT 818-209-1953
*Cancellation and or "No Show" with less than 24 hour notice forfeits all costs for time booked
EMAIL: [email protected] OR CALL ME DIRECT 818-209-1953
*Cancellation and or "No Show" with less than 24 hour notice forfeits all costs for time booked