A voice over career is a dream job for a lot of people. You get to use your voice to bring characters to life or make a brand sound attractive. Best of all, you’re able to do most of the work from the comfort of your home. Who wouldn’t want that? If you’re looking to break into the voice over industry, here’s everything you need to know about starting a voice over career. My voice over job can be your voiceover job too.
What is a voice over job?
A voice over job is where a voice is used outside of a narrative for television production, filmmaking, radio, and various other presentations. Voice over artists are provided a script to read from and record themselves. One of the most common forms of voice over work is corporate narration. This involves a voice over artist narrating the action that’s taking place in a presentation.
Beyond the entertainment and advertisement fields, there’s a variety of other industries that utilize voice overs. This includes news reports, on-hold messages and even airport announcements. There’s no shortage of diverse companies you’ll work with doing voice over jobs.
How do you become a voice actor?
Anything you want in life will usually require knowledge and practice. Starting a voice acting career is no different. The knowledge part involves knowing the resources you need to get started. You’re going to have to invest in a decent amount early on before your career takes off. This includes getting your recording equipment, marketing yourself, and potentially signing up for some voice over training. It might be costly in the beginning, but once you start getting regular work, you’ll eventually get a return on your investment.
When it comes to recording, you’ll need to have a quiet space to work. You’ll also need a decent condenser microphone, soundproofing materials, and a pop shield. Additionally, it’s important to have a computer, a mixer, and recording software. When a business is looking for voice over work to be done, they’ll want to hire someone who can deliver quality work.
That’s why all of this equipment is a necessary investment. While you don’t need to do a huge renovation, you’re going to need set up a home studio in your place. A small space like your closet is a good start. Your soundproof material should cover most of the area in your studio. This will reduce the echoing of your voice in the room. Another important tip is to keep your computer away from your microphone when recording.
Microphones are strong enough to pick up lots of noises, including the fan from your computer. It’s preferable to have a monitor and wireless keyboard to control your recording software. If you can’t afford that, use a computer that doesn’t make much noise when operating. Once you have the equipment and space set up, practice will be key. You should read aloud every day to get used to reading from scripts. The practice you do should involve more than just reading. You need to practice adjusting your speaking pace, using different tones, and enunciating your words.
In a lot of cases, you’re not just reading a script, you’re acting it out. It’s important to practice speaking as if you’re not reading from a script. Taking acting classes can be helpful in training you to act out your script. Additionally, recording yourself will help you hear how your voice sounds and know what you can do to improve the way you speak. Learn to speak from your diaphragm and do vocal exercises to strengthen your voice. As you develop your ability to speak, soon you’ll be ready to market yourself. That’s how you’re going to get clients to hire you to do voice overs.
Make a website that tells people who you are and what work you can do as a voice artist. If you don’t have any experience, create your own voice over recordings to show potential clients what you could do for them.
How much does a voice actor make in a year?
The amount a voice over artist will make in a year varies. Voice actors are paid on a per project basis. As you gain experience and build up a client base, it’s possible you’ll be able to turn your voice acting into a full-time career. The top earning voice over actors make up to $90000 or more a year.
What qualifications do I need to be a voice actor?
One of the great things about voice over acting is almost anyone can get in the industry, but it’s not necessarily going to be easy. While this work requires no formal education, as mentioned earlier, it’s helpful to get training in acting through classes. There are also courses on voice acting that might help you develop your career faster. You learn all the important stuff with training your voice, promoting yourself, and creating your own demo.
Are you ready to start a voice over career?
While voice acting as a career is rewarding, it’ll take a lot of time and money to make happen. You might not get your first voice acting gig for months. When you do start getting gigs, you’ll spend a lot of hours alone in a booth reading scripts. Experienced voice actors will tell you this work can get isolating at times. You have to decide if this is really what you want to do as a career.
Despite the challenges, you get the freedom to work wherever you want and whenever you want. You have the ability to make as much you want through hard work. If using your voice to sell a brand or to make a story come alive excites you, and you’re willing to put in the work, then you’re ready to start a voice over career. Finally, as time goes on you may also consider getting some equipment for when you are traveling.
