Chapter 1
An Overview of Voice Acting: Just the Basics
In This Chapter
Understanding who a voice actor is
Figuring your way through the maze of auditions
Making a go in your home studio
Voice acting is an amazing way to put to use something you already have â your voice. Voice acting well is about knowing how to best use your voice and interpretive skills to deliver a well-crafted message. More than just mere talk, voice acting is the art of taking the written word and skillfully translating it into a persuasive spoken word message that encourages a listening audience to not only hear what youâre saying, but also to act on it in some way. Voice acting is designed to educate, inform, or entertain.
This chapter serves as your catapult into this book and the world of voice acting. No matter if youâre brand new and donât know anything about voice acting, youâve dabbled a little bit in it and decided you want to pursue it more as a career, or youâve worked in the voice acting field for several years and you want to take your abilities to the next level, this chapter can help you start your journey.
Being a Voice Actor: More Than You May Expect
Some people think that voice acting is simply getting paid to talk. In a way, thatâs true, although there is so much more to it! When you start as a voice actor, you need to remember that your voice is the instrument that helps achieve the script writerâs goal, whether youâre voicing a character in an animated film, reading for a company telephony script, or narrating an audiobook. You also need to take good care of your voice, which is your instrument that you literally take with you wherever you go. In the following sections, we explain your role in the creative process of voice acting and how this knowledge can help you to do your best as a voice actor.
Knowing what it really means
Being a voice actor isnât just about sounding pretty. Being a voice actor isnât just about the sound of your voice. Your voice is merely an instrument used to communicate effectively and breathe life into a story. Chapter 2 explains more about what voice acting is, shows what it takes to be a voice actor, and gives you a good idea of where your voice fits in.
Getting your voice ready
Preparing and taking care of your voice are essential keys to voice acting because you rely heavily on your voice to work. Anyone who comes from a background that includes public speaking, whether in public settings or professional settings, has an appreciation for the voice and how greatly it contributes to their ability to communicate successfully.
Preparing your voice includes everything from warming up to ensuring you donât abuse it by yelling, screaming, or smoking. Chapter 3 gives you the essentials for how you can take care of your voice, use your voice properly, and train it so youâre ready for voice acting.
Figuring out your role as voice actor
As a voice actor, you play a unique role in a production. Those roles include the following:
These different roles help get the message to the listener, and each has its own characteristics. In Chapter 4, we discuss these roles in greater depth and explain how you can engage your intended audience with each one.
Digging into the script
The script reveals the authorâs intent and contains a wealth of details that can help you to create interesting and unique characters. By reading the script, you can discover a lot about the characters youâll be voicing or portraying. When you read, you need to think like a detective and look for clues that will aid you in developing characters and creating unique voices for them.
Being able to differentiate characters as well as being able to create a solid character that you know like the back of your hand is essential. As a voice actor, your job is to bring characters and scripts to life. The more information you have, the more believable your reads and the greater your performance. In Chapter 5, you can figure out how to examine a script and find the clues to create characters based upon your findings.
Starting your own business
If youâre going to take voice acting seriously, you need to approach it as a business. We mean that you need to invest properly in your business to make quality recordings, which means that you get some training as a voice actor and you also can produce quality work with a home recording studio. When youâre working with clients, quoting the appropriate rates is also something you need to do to remain competitive. Even if youâre just looking to do voice acting as a hobby, remember that youâre entering into an arena of professional voice actors who have been working for years and make their living recording voice-overs.
We give you ideas for how to set up your business, manage your customers, and build a team of advisors, such as an agent if you want one, in Chapter 16. We discuss how you can market your business in Chapter 9. The other chapters in Part IV serve as a primer for running your own business â information youâll be grateful for when the time comes.
Making a Demo
A demo is to a voice actor as a portfolio is to an artist. Your demo shows people what you can do with your voice and is a tool used for marketing yourself. Most people start with a commercial demo to showcase their ability to read for commercials you would hear on television or radio. You can use demos as promotion vehicles on your website or to accompany your profile on a voice acting marketplace website. You can also send them to talent agents or clients you want to introduce yourself to.
