How to Start a Career in Voice Over
Voice over is the use of a recording of an individual’s vocals to replace or augment existing dialogue in film, television, video games, audiobooks, and other forms of media. It may also be used in public speaking, as on-hold phone messages, or to present information at tourist destinations and events.
Those who want to start a career in voice over need to prepare themselves by developing acting skills and creating a demo reel of imitation voices based on pre-existing scripts. A voice actor can also seek out recurring gigs, such as voicing a character in an animated series or narrating an audiobook, that provide steady income.
Once you feel comfortable, it’s important to take your time when recording and not be afraid of making mistakes. A few pauses can help to make your recording sound more natural, and a simple smile can improve your tone. Remember to listen to your recording all the way through, checking for long silences, weird sounds, errors in speech (rushing, speaking too slowly), and more. Many of the same vocal warmups that work for singers will also apply to voice actors, including breathing deeply and imagining yourself in a scene before you record.
Once you feel confident about your recordings, you can start the editing process. This can be done using software programs such as Camtasia or Audiate. When editing your recording, be sure to reduce background noise, and to edit out any long silences – but don’t worry about removing a smile or small errors, as those can be fixed later on. voice over