AARON MENZ

If you are on the search for voice-over talent I want to share with you why you should consider hiring a trained voice-over artist. If you are a person reading this and want to enter into the voice-over industry and become a voice-over artist this article will hopefully give you some things to consider. There are so many ways to obtain voice-over talent today due to the internet and social media. YouTube has a plethora of voice-over artists who have their own opinions and experiences from the spectrum of voice-over work.

Entering the Voice-Over Industry and Training: My Journey

Over the years I was inundated everywhere I went with people making comments about my deep voice. It’s one of the defining characteristics people remember me by. I was told from the time I was in my late teens I should be in broadcasting or be the guy who does the film trailers. Through the years it was always something I thought about and toyed with but didn’t exactly know how to step into. Several years ago, I really started to think about it and started listening to various voice-over talent and reading blogs. Some were overwhelmingly positive while some were very discouraging and filled with horror stories. After some time of listening to various voice-over talent I had written down some goals and even did a Pinterest board for equipment. It was like a dream if I could do this. Something was missing though, and I had heard several people talk about just starting and taking that leap of faith.

One of my problems was just forking over thousands or even hundreds of dollars for equipment. I knew I could get good studio equipment reasonably but I’m the type who likes to have the top quality and throwing down several grand was too risky an investment to just throw away without seeing a return. Several key voices I would listen to in the industry all suggested having professional demos and obtaining training. When I had my first consultation for training, my voice-over trainer (a full-time and highly sought-after voice-over artist) set down some indicatives that helped me with my imperatives. Let me put it more simply, he spoke to me about truths I needed to know for me to know what I needed to do. After that conversation I went back to my drawing board and realized the missing component and the thing that was holding me back was lack of training. My hesitation at that point was actually a wise move.

I eventually went through a voice-over training program and it was worth every penny. I’ve had five voice-over trainers and consultants who have critiqued me, my voice, and my voice-over skills. Not only that, I’ve had marketing and business consultation from voice-over artists. I plan to continue to get training and be trained. Every bit of information I have taken, weighed out, and assimilated into the structure for my VO business and my skills. To make things better I only keep tabs on voice-over artists who are successful. There’s a reason people speak negatively and try to dissuade others and it’s not always because they are raking in the cash.

Everyone searching for a voice-over artist can consider these five essentials and be confident in finding the right artist for their project.

1. Pay to play sites are a mish-mash of trained and completely untrained amateur voice-over talents.

While you get to pick through thousands of voices you also have to spend valuable time. Think about it if you must find a VO talent and go to pay to play site you will be wading through demos and time is money. Spending ten seconds listening to 70 different voices and means you have spent 11 ½ minutes. Doesn’t sound like a long time but think of all those other little things like pointing and clicking a mouse, waiting for the demo to load, internet connection, etc. Sometimes it may take hundreds of demos to find that right voice for the right project. This also means that you will be listening to some VO talents who have sub-par quality audio and equipment. Would you hire someone who did their voice-over demo on their smartphone? I could ask that question like this: Would you record your next multi-million dollar ad-campaign on a smartphone or $50 USB condenser mic to air during Prime Time?

2. A trained voice-over artist has spent time cultivating their skills.

Imagine a farmer taking seed and sowing the seed just out on his property without first working the soil of his property. Farming is his livelihood but not only that if he is wanting to be established further he will first learn to cultivate his soil to plant the seed. Uncultivated soil might see a return and a small harvest, but it takes work to bring forth a good crop.

Can you imagine a person with a dream to be an Olympic swimmer but all they do is sit at home and play video games and never get in the water? There would be a huge difference between that person and Michael Phelps. How about a trained opera singer? How about having an aspiring heart surgeon who is high school doing bypass surgery as opposed to an actual cardiologist? In another vein, a trained opera singer wouldn’t just know singing techniques and notes but would know their anatomy and the parts of the body that can enhance their voice. An opera singer has to have a different skill set from a rapper and so forth.

To obtain a VO talent who hasn’t had training is like hiring a police officer who hasn’t trained with their gun at the firing range. They wouldn’t know the tool they have, how powerful it might be, and how to effectively use it.

Anyone in any industry who wants to be successful will pursue cultivating themselves and their skill. There are many natural talents but imagine a talent that remains uncultivated, that is a true waste of potential. Even the most successful businessmen and entrepreneurs are constantly cultivating themselves and their skillsets.

A trained voice-over artist can take constructive criticism in order to cultivate themselves further. This is why training is so important because everyone has blind spots and sometimes what sounds good to the individual doesn’t really sound good. If you have a naturally powerful voice you have to train to speak gently or more softly at times. Think of it, a good racehorse is a well-trained racehorse who is in sync with its rider. If a voice-over talent can’t take constructive criticism they become a standard to themselves. While there is a place for self-direction even self-directed voice artists (which many of us are) still make allowances for professional critiquing that will make us better. It is therefore necessary to take ownership over entrepreneurship to be successful to make the client successful. This is why constructive criticism and cultivation are vital.

3. A trained voice-over artist has trained to sell their voice which means selling your product or service.

Professional demos are like film trailers they should stimulate the imagination about what may come next or what was great about that demo. The whole goal of an ad, narration, anything a voice-over talent does is to keep the listener engaged in what they are promoting. A trained voice-over artist seeks to do something excellent because they have trained to do so. If you listen to someone who has just eaten a bag of chips and then they record a project, chances are you will hear some residue of what has been in their mouth. If a voice-over artist has the chops to sell their voice and to you then you have a great chance they can turn over a great ad.

4. A trained voice-over artist conducts business professionally and ethically with excellent business practices.

Why take a risk with someone who is cavalier about something as vital as a professionally made demo. If they don’t care about what they presenting as the representation of their skill and business how can you rest assured concerning their actual business skills? Nowadays voice-over artists have to not just be VO artists but also have a measure of business skills. Simple things like contracts, receipts, the necessary copyrights, permissions and other legalities should be things the VO artist is aware and considerate of. This is necessary for taking care of clientele and nurturing business relationships.

5. A trained voice-over artist doesn’t just have the voice but knows the language.

If you are in the media industry or are part of an ad agency or any other profession that deals with media there is certain terminology used for that industry. While the voice-over industry is not overtly inundated with technical language there is some vocab that is specific. A voice-over artist should know about some adjustment on take 3 and a beat at the 10-second mark means or doing a cold-read on the second copy. A voice-over artist should also know what equipment and software are out there. ProTools, Adobe Audition, Audio Editors, Multi-Track recorders (DAW’s- Digital Audio Workstations, Condenser mics, Cardioids, Dynamic mics, omnidirectional mics, these are all components of the trade. While a voice-over talent might not know all of the equipment it goes back to cultivating and refining oneself to be better so the client can be more successful.

And Finally…

This article was meant to inspire and educate not discourage and intimidate. If you are searching for a trained professional voice-over artist drop me a line I would love to connect and collaborate. If you are seeking to enter the voice-over industry just remember that following your dreams, visions, and goals is great. Go for it! Remember though, a vision without a plan is just a delusion. Excellence is a matter of intention and execution. A lot of great ideas failed not because they were great ideas and dreams but because they were implemented through mediocrity.

Throughout the hustle and bustle of a normal day many people don’t think about how surrounded they are by the voice-over industry. Everything from smartphones, digital alarm clocks, to technologies like cashier-less registers have some type of voiceover integration. Cartoons, film-trailers, even baby toys all utilize the human voice, and these are examples in only two industries: the entertainment and the toy industry. Ever heard of Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa? The more technology advances the more vocal recognition and voiceovers will be utilized. Think about it. The human voice with all its inflections, intonations, and various ways of being used is a truly amazing instrument with no equal.

This article will highlight and define the genres and types of voice-overs there are but is no way exhaustive.

Short Form and Long Form

Before getting into the bulk of what types and genres there are of voiceovers there are two types in terms of length. Short-form voice-overs are merely voice-overs that are not long and can range from a few seconds to a few minutes. Long-form voice-overs are the longer voice-overs that generally require more than one take and can range from days to months to record and produce depending on the project.

Two Main Types: Commercial and Narration

There are two main types of voiceovers: commercial and narration. Commercials are marketing and advertising based and can be found on TV, the radio, the internet, and just about anywhere. Many retailers have specific radio stations and ads specifically for in-store promotions. There are even certain companies who have their own stations just for when you are at the gas pump. Corporations may hire a voice-over artist to do a copy for an ad just for employees within the company as an incentive. Commercials may be done in a character, mascot voice, or may be done as a spokesperson for a company. There are many types of commercials as well so an ad or commercial that utilizes a voice-over may have a wide variety of range within it even if it’s only a few seconds long.

How many kinds of car commercials are there? Some are directed to come across as elegant, others as sleek, and sexy. Truck commercials tend to have a more blue-collar tone whereas SUV and off-road vehicles have an adventure quality in the voiceover.

Medicine commercials come across as informative and may have a mix of narration when discussing side-effects and cautionary uses. Remember Ben Stein’s “Dry Eyes” commercials? It just goes to show that even a monotone voice can be utilized creatively in the voice-over industry. Pesticide commercials are unique in that they may contain character and animation voiceover components along with the narrator.

Secondly, there are narrations. Narrations come in a wide variety of categories like commercials. There may be educational and academic narrations where academic terminology may be used such as a term like “anachronistic” or “historicity.” There may be terms that may be specific to an academic field. Take for example, a medical narration when visiting the cardiologist and there is narration on the pulmonary artery and how the tricuspid valve works in relation to the superior vena cava. The medical community also has vocal replacement voice-overs for the speech-impaired. Ever called the IRS about tax information? Yes, even the IRS utilizes the voice-over industry via IVR (interactive voice response) technology. Many companies utilize IVR when calling and sometimes it’s what they use predominantly.

There are also the narrations when traveling to tourist spots and museums where the narrator voices hard names, places in other languages, or gives the story behind the exhibit. Think of it, “Michelangelo” is an anglicization and is not how the renaissance artist’s name is pronounced in actual Italian. There may be a voice-over of somewhere in Italy that helps enliven the Sistine Chapel experience. YouTube e-learning vids on just about everything will have some form of narration so you can listen on how to build your own rocket ship. There are also documentary and biography narrations. Corporate narrations are typical that discuss company policies or are training videos when new-hires need to be oriented through the company’s history and culture.

A burgeoning form of voice-over narration is that of audiobooks. A narration might be in first, second, or third person and would change the dynamic of how the copy would be recorded. Is the story from a limited or omniscient POV (point of view)? In short, the different types of narrators and characters within an audiobook will have various ways of coming through to be distinguished in a voice-over depending on the genre of literature.

Character/Animation, Film, Video Games, Entertainment, Etc.

Mel Blanc may not be an easily recognizable name. Even his nickname “Man of a Thousand Voices” might not ring a bell but mention Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig and those voices are instantly recognizable. Mel Blanc voiced many animated characters and the acting component is strong in this voiceover genre. Films, video games, and all forms of media that require acting and unique character identities all converge and pass through the voice-over industry.

When it comes to character voices and animation in video games these types of voice-overs generally require more than people think. A voice-over artist must be an actor and a creator to invent a specific character identity. Mark Hamill once did an interview where he discussed how he developed the Joker and his laugh from Batman: The Animated Series. One of his comments on the Joker’s laugh was that it should be almost like an instrument that could be played in different keys and tempos. Character voiceovers require the energy and life to bring the character to life. These types of voice-overs often involve acting out the physical nature of the character behind the mic in order to get fully into character and the range of emotions necessary.

Niche

All the types and genres of voice-overs have their own nuances and challenges associated with them. When a voiceover artist/actor becomes affluent in a particular genre that is called their “niche.” Some voice-over artists may have several niches but if you think of a voice like Don LaFontaine who voiced over 5,000 film trailers, that was his niche. Only by exploring and auditioning for many types of voice-overs across many genres will a person be able to find their niche.

So next time you are out and about maybe you might want to play a game of listening to how many different voice-overs you can catch throughout your day. You will no doubt be surprised where you hear a voice-over and what type and genre it may be!