Have You Thought of Boosting Your Performance Career With Voice Over Acting?

Once you get your acting career going it’s hard not to get stuck in tunnel vision. And guess what happens when tunnel vision hits? You’re acting career… gets stuck. When you’re just starting out or when things get slow, it’s important to keep your options for creativity and performance open. This will help you expand your skills as well as get your connected to more people in the industry. And who knows what kind of job you’ll land as a result of your many voices and faces?

The solution? Voice over acting. The options are so many. You can do a theatrical performance, comedy, drama, suspense, children’s adventure and so much more, not to mention commercials and advertisements. Just think of Robin Williams' comedic performance at the beginning of Mrs. Doubtfire. Remember that scene where he stands up for the innocence of children and protests the condoning of smoking while the cute little canary snidely puffed his cigar?   Of course, we’re all supposed to learn a subliminal lesson about not smoking, but for the performer, this bit is inspiration! Who wouldn’t want to do that?

Wondering how to get started? Well if you’ve already gotten used to acting through stage, improve or classes, you’ve got the first steps covered. If not, definitely look into classes and opportunities in your area. Many of the techniques you'll use are the same ones used on stage and screen especially when it comes to the training of your voice and shifting the personality of your voice with the character’s emotion, age and presence. You've got to be able to think on the spot, develop your character and the voice to go with it, while reading text perfectly and responding quickly to direction.  It's a lot but you can do it with ease and the right training.  

Once you get some practice, you’ll want to create an audio portfolio of your voice samples. Record the various voices you’re so great and performing and be sure each track is clearly marked by gender, age, region etc.  The more variety you are able to provide, the better!  Read scripts and be both parts of the conversation.Provide contrast in a single sketch by playing one character as a southern belle and one as a British gentleman or Viking.  Going from male to female with different accents while including emotion can really impress a casting director. But keep your tracks short. You want to grab them, hook them and bring them to the next track - wanting more.  Too much, and you'll bore them.

Lastly, be sure to speak clearly and enunciate!  This, oddly enough has been a hard one for many.... but if you don’t master it, you’ll really limit your opportunities. Practice speaking slowly and articulately to make sure you’re never rushing or mumbling; of course unless that’s how your character speaks! 

In the end, this is a fantastic way for actors everywhere to expand their horizons and succeed.  And if you are ready to take your career further and get serious about acting, visit us at The Acting School for Film and Television.  We'd love to help you succeed!