The Art of Voice Acting: the art and business of performing for voice over Read Online Free PDF

Most overnight successes are the result of many years of hard work, constant study, dedication to the craft, and a mastery of business skills. One voiceover coach I know suggests that it takes 15 years to become successful in voiceover. I disagree with that! Everyone defines “success” differently. Sure, if you define success as being in high demand and making the “bigbucks,” it might take 15 years or longer to get there. But if you are doing voiceover because you really love it, and you wonder why you’re not paying them to let you get in front of the mic, then success can be as soon as next week.
    Like most of the performing arts, voice acting is a hurry-up-and-wait kind of business. By that I mean you will spend a lot of time waiting: waiting at auditions, waiting for a callback, waiting in the lobby of a recording studio, waiting for the email with your script, and waiting to get paid. Once a voiceover recording session begins, things tend to happen very fast. But you may still find yourself waiting as the producer works on copy changes, or while the studio engineer deals with a technical problem.
    If you are recording in your home studio, which has become a standard practice for voiceover work at all levels, you will be expected to deliver studio-quality recordings. You’ll also be expected to know how to do some limited production and editing—even though you are not a recording engineer. That means you need to be computer-literate and you’ll need to invest in the training, equipment, software, and acoustic improvements necessary to build a functional recording facility in your home.
    From a performance standpoint, producers assume that you know what you are doing and expect you to deliver your lines professionally. You are expected to be able to deliver a masterful interpretation of a script after only a short read-through—usually within the first two or three takes. Direction (coaching) from the producer or director often comes very fast, so you must listen closely and pay attention. Sometimes, the producer or director completely changes the concept or makes major copy changes in the middle of an audition or session—and you need to be able to adapt quickly. And more often than not, you won’t get any direction at all. If you’re recording in your home studio, the session may be director-less and producer-less, meaning you are on your own! You need to develop excellent interpretive skills and be a versatile performer with the ability to self-direct and provide what your client is asking for, even when you’re not certain exactly what that is.
    Your job as a voice actor is to perform to the best of your abilities. When you are hired, either from your demo or after an audition, your voice has been chosen over many others as the one most desirable for the job. Unless there is a serious technical problem that requires your being called back, or if there are revisions that are made after the session has ended, you will not get a second chance after leaving the studio or sending your files.
    Full-Time or Part-Time
    If you think voiceover work is for you, you may have some decisions to make. Not right this minute, but soon. Do you want to do voiceover work as a full-time career, or as a part-time avocation? What niche area of voiceoverdo you want to focus on? Should you move to a different city in search of work in your niche area? The choices may be many and may not be easy!
    Doing voiceover work on a full-time basis is unlike just about any other job you can imagine. You must be available on a moment’s notice when you are called for an audition. In addition, you must constantly market yourself, even if you have an agent.
    Full-time voiceover work may also mean joining a union, and possibly even moving to a larger city—if that’s where your destiny leads you. Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and many major cities are strong union towns for voiceover work, and you must be in the union to get well-paying