For many voice-over actors, having a career in voice acting is one of the most enjoyable ways to make a living. I mean, with so many genres to choose from, who could ever get bored? But honestly, some genres are more fun than others. It all depends on what gets you excited and your own personal level of "yeah, I can do that" for certain jobs that fall outside of your comfort zone.
In this post, I'd like to talk about what I think are the high points of some voice acting genres as well as my personal favorites. When all is said and done, I'd love to hear about your favorite (or not too favorite) genres as well!
There are a lot of books on how to do voice overs — and I've read quite a few of them. So it's a rare pleasure when I have the chance to sit down and read a book that falls outside of the norm in a very good way. And that book is You Can Do Cartoon Voices, Too! by Sunday Muse.
This book / CD set is unique because it is aimed at teaching children how to do voice overs. As a father of two, I'm sometimes asked by my children, "Daddy, why do you spend time talking out loud to no one?" This book has helped my kids understand what it is that I do by showing them how to do it themselves. And it does so in a very wonderful way...
I'm always extremely grateful when my writing gets recognized by others in the voice over community. And today is another day of gratitude and celebration. Once again John Florian of Voice Over Xtra has reprinted one of the posts here at VAN.
As the VoiceJockeys.com saga continues to unfold, many beginning voice-over actors (and even some veterans) are scratching their heads about what is a fair price to charge for their time and talent.
I'm still in a fuming state of rage after reading an article that was posted earlier today. It talks about a website where voice talent can sign up to get paying jobs (of which there are plenty.) Voice actor and attorney, Rob Sciglimpaglia Jr., digs into the site's contract to show the voice-over world just how some websites treat the talent that use their services.
While seasoned voice actors usually pay close attention to contract details, those who are just beginning their journey into voice acting may not be aware of some of the "sneaky bits" located in the fine print of some contracts. Beware!
A thousand thanks to Voice Over Xtra and Rob Sciglimpaglia Jr. for helping voice over artists protect themselves!
In the final few pages he includes a quote from Executive Creative Director of K & R Marc Advertising, Jack Badofsky, that paints the perfect picture of what makes a voice actor a great voice actor:
Here's a replay of the segment called The Faces Behind the Voices - CBS Sunday Morning that appeared on TV just recently. (My kids loved it because they could finally see who does the voice of Dora the Explorer!)
It's not too surprising to me just how many people nowadays are interested in becoming a voice-over actor. I mean, with the allure of being able to work at home and at your own pace coupled with the jaw-dropping amount of money that voice actors appear to make per session, who wouldn't want to hop on the voice actor bandwagon, too? And hey, all you need is a voice, right? And you've got one of those already.
For now, let's put aside the whole "jaw-dropping amount of money" issue for a later post, shall we? It really is a topic that requires a whole series of posts to dispel. And let's put aside the "work at home and at your own pace" topic as well because, as they say: all that glitters is not gold. And the "voice" thingy? Well, if you haven't had it trained professionally, then just having a voice will get you nowhere at a rather rapid clip.
In this post, we'll look at what I believe to be the most important part of becoming a voice actor: truly loving to read.
In the previous post I talked a little bit about dealing with the stink of audition rejection. Since then, I've stumbled across (or have been informed of) some other posts on the topic of auditioning for voice overs. Take a gander at these:
If you're interested in becoming a voice actor but not quite sure what you need (as far as abilities are concerned), then check out this video by Blair Hardman called Everything You Need to do Voiceovers, and One Thing You Don't. Some of them might seem obvious, while others might just make you stop and say "Hmm..."
(Special thanks to the Such a Voice blog; it's where I came across it.)
For many voice-over actors, having a career in voice acting is one of the most enjoyable ways to make a living. I mean, with so many genres to choose from, who could ever get bored? But honestly, some genres are more fun than others. It all depends on what gets you excited and your own personal level of "yeah, I can do that" for certain jobs that fall outside of your comfort zone.
There are a lot of books on how to do voice overs — and I've read quite a few of them. So it's a rare pleasure when I have the chance to sit down and read a book that falls outside of the norm in a very good way. And that book is 
I'm always extremely grateful when my writing gets recognized by others in the voice over community. And today is another day of gratitude and celebration. Once again John Florian of Voice Over Xtra has reprinted one of the posts here at VAN.
As the VoiceJockeys.com saga continues to unfold, many beginning voice-over actors (and even some veterans) are scratching their heads about what is a fair price to charge for their time and talent.
I'm still in a fuming state of rage after reading an article that was posted earlier today. It talks about a website where voice talent can sign up to get paying jobs (of which there are plenty.) Voice actor and attorney, Rob Sciglimpaglia Jr., digs into the site's contract to show the voice-over world just how some websites treat the talent that use their services.
I just finished reading Harlan Hogan's 
It's not too surprising to me just how many people nowadays are interested in becoming a voice-over actor. I mean, with the allure of being able to work at home and at your own pace coupled with the jaw-dropping amount of money that voice actors appear to make per session, who wouldn't want to hop on the voice actor bandwagon, too? And hey, all you need is a voice, right? And you've got one of those already.
