The past few years, whenever I tell people I am a voice over artist, I
get a multitude of reactions, varying from "oh?" ( as " oh is that a
job?) from "oooh" ( as "ooooh I have no idea what you do but it sounds
cool").
Well, it is. A job and cool.
But it is also extremely demanding. A voice over artist has to:
a) Have good pronunciation
b) Have versatility.Know how to act. There is a difference in story telling, in selling, in advertising, when reading a manual, or a book. When voicing a cartoon or recording a dictionary.
A GOOD voice artist has to:
a) and b)
c)Have a home studio and have knowledge of editing and mixing.
A GREAT voice artist has to:
a), b) c) and
d) have studied acting or singing in order to know his/ her craft in depth ( or have some artistic background as a radio producer, MC, television presenter, actor, singer etc)
e) know more than one language
f) be able to proofread and translate
g) have a professional studio
h) have patience, people skills and a good business sense.
If these are covered, voice acting can be very fulfilling and diverse. No job is the same. You connect with all kinds of people from any kind of industry.
The reason is that voice overs are needed almost anywhere.
a) every time you call a company, there is a voice over greeting you and guiding you through the steps.
b) every time you watch a commercial on tv or hear it on the radio, a voice over is heard.
c) every time you pass an exam in a foreign language or hear an exercise, a voice over artist was hired.
d) every meditation or yoga tape was voiced over.
e) every exercise dvd or documentary that was dubbed in your language, every cartoon you took your child to, a voice over artist is behind it.
f) every you tube video that is half decent, has used a voice over.
g) every learning application was voiced over.
h) every time you listen to a gps system someone probably did it.
i) every game you play had voice over artists play the parts "Greetings traveller" ;)
j) every film or tv series you watch had parts that were voiced over, especially if it was filmed outside.
People in the entertainment industry have found out long ago the importance of sound and the valuable tool the right voice can be. The rest of the world is catching up, and more and more companies rely on professionals to voice their marketing videos, their presentations, their in-company videos and telephone menus.
Big companies had researchers to point out the importance of impressions and they have the funds to produce such impressions with videos, tv spots and web advertisements.
But what about the smaller companies?
Well, nowadays it is easy to find a few bilingual voice artist to greet their customers on the phone, and the kind of voice they want at a fair price for their promotional videos.
www,thepros.dk ( ignore the certificate warning, godaddy is a company that did not include it in my package) id a company that creates non expensive phone menus, but still gives a decent rate to their voice artists.
You can also order a ready made package with up to 20 prompts for the price of 100 dollars, in 3 languages. That is a very good deal.
So what is this not more known?
Because customers and business men tend to overlook things that have always been here.
Try to think today, how many times you will hear a voice over, anywhere.
You will be quite surprised.:)
( If you are interested in becoming a voice artist contact info@thepros.dk for info and tips)
Well, it is. A job and cool.
But it is also extremely demanding. A voice over artist has to:
a) Have good pronunciation
b) Have versatility.Know how to act. There is a difference in story telling, in selling, in advertising, when reading a manual, or a book. When voicing a cartoon or recording a dictionary.
A GOOD voice artist has to:
a) and b)
c)Have a home studio and have knowledge of editing and mixing.
A GREAT voice artist has to:
a), b) c) and
d) have studied acting or singing in order to know his/ her craft in depth ( or have some artistic background as a radio producer, MC, television presenter, actor, singer etc)
e) know more than one language
f) be able to proofread and translate
g) have a professional studio
h) have patience, people skills and a good business sense.
If these are covered, voice acting can be very fulfilling and diverse. No job is the same. You connect with all kinds of people from any kind of industry.
The reason is that voice overs are needed almost anywhere.
a) every time you call a company, there is a voice over greeting you and guiding you through the steps.
b) every time you watch a commercial on tv or hear it on the radio, a voice over is heard.
c) every time you pass an exam in a foreign language or hear an exercise, a voice over artist was hired.
d) every meditation or yoga tape was voiced over.
e) every exercise dvd or documentary that was dubbed in your language, every cartoon you took your child to, a voice over artist is behind it.
f) every you tube video that is half decent, has used a voice over.
g) every learning application was voiced over.
h) every time you listen to a gps system someone probably did it.
i) every game you play had voice over artists play the parts "Greetings traveller" ;)
j) every film or tv series you watch had parts that were voiced over, especially if it was filmed outside.
People in the entertainment industry have found out long ago the importance of sound and the valuable tool the right voice can be. The rest of the world is catching up, and more and more companies rely on professionals to voice their marketing videos, their presentations, their in-company videos and telephone menus.
Big companies had researchers to point out the importance of impressions and they have the funds to produce such impressions with videos, tv spots and web advertisements.
But what about the smaller companies?
Well, nowadays it is easy to find a few bilingual voice artist to greet their customers on the phone, and the kind of voice they want at a fair price for their promotional videos.
www,thepros.dk ( ignore the certificate warning, godaddy is a company that did not include it in my package) id a company that creates non expensive phone menus, but still gives a decent rate to their voice artists.
You can also order a ready made package with up to 20 prompts for the price of 100 dollars, in 3 languages. That is a very good deal.
So what is this not more known?
Because customers and business men tend to overlook things that have always been here.
Try to think today, how many times you will hear a voice over, anywhere.
You will be quite surprised.:)
( If you are interested in becoming a voice artist contact info@thepros.dk for info and tips)
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