|
REAL
Facts & Stats to get started in Voiceovers: |
A
career in VO is just that, a career.
The people that find the most success in voiceovers choose to make it a full time career. We do not recommend voiceover as a part-time or side venture simply because the competition is too fierce.
Having a great voice or having been told that you have a great voice does not make you voiceover ready.
Having a great voice is only a very small part of this business. In fact, in some voiceover circles they say that having a “great” or frequently complimented voice is actually something to overcome! This is because you must know how to use & market your voice. Voiceover talent are not simple well spoken individuals – they are actors who are capable of making words on a page come to life behind a microphone.
Learning how to properly use and market your voice will be an investment of both time and money. You must be teachable & open to change. You must also be able to hear criticism about your voice and your performance abilities.
You must be willing to work hard & you must be willing to fail. |
A Voiceover Education is essential.
First you will need to learn the business of VO. It is likely that you know very little about the voiceover industry and how it works. Do you know that there are dozens of voiceover applications that working actors get hired for everyday? This is your first hurdle; understanding and recognizing all the areas of the business. You must possess the same knowledge of this craft as the working professionals who already do it for a living. For this education to be beneficial you will need to know and understand the technology and equipment that is used along with marketing and sales techniques. Plus you'll need to know and understand how to own and operate your own freelance business.
Your education will of course also need to focus on performance. How good an actor are you? You must have the intensity, believability & improvisational skills of a professional stage or screen performer. The only difference is that you will work behind a mic, not a camera.
Combined, your initial training can take months or years. This means practicing your skills as often as possible, reading books written by reputable members of the voiceover community and of course working with qualified & reputable voiceover coaches.
One of the greatest misconceptions about this business is the time it takes to become a working talent. The voiceover profession does not require a degree or a traditional collegiate education. While you may not invest 4 years and tens-of-thousands of dollars into full time education you will need to invest a few years of part time study and a few thousand dollars to be well prepared. Please don't be in a rush. If you want to race through your studies it likely means you are unwilling to learn all that is necessary for success. The culmination of this could be that you enter the voiceover industry prematurely and ill-prepared. As with most careers we invest money into our education in order to make a very large return on that invest when we enter the job market. |
Seek
the Tools of the trade.
It should come as no surprise that there are tools that every voiceover talent needs in order to operate a successful voiceover business. Ask your mechanic how much money a year he invests in tools. The number will shock you. But it will also help you to understand why it costs so much to have your car repaired. The same is true for voiceovers; the tools of our trade can be costly. These expenses are all part of your education.
You must have at least one voiceover demo that meets or exceeds industry standards. Your demo makes or breaks you & without one you have no chance of getting work. The demo creation process is very particular and is not as simple as reading and recording one commercial. Good demos cost money and are created by professional, proven demo production companies. A talent should feel 100% secure and certain of their skills before even thinking about making a VO demo. You should not attempt to create a demo on your own.
A demo is a marketing tool, however it’s not the only marketing tool needed in voiceovers. Websites, advertisements & graphic design all cost time and money too. The voiceover talent who is diligent about marketing will often times outperform the competition.
Studio access is absolutely necessary to be a voiceover talent. Talent are required to have access to their OWN recording facility every day, Studios are much cheaper to build and maintain than they were in years past but, your studio must be no less than broadcast quality. The quality of the audio created from your studio will greatly determine your success and the amount of money you make performing voiceovers. |
Can
I be successful?
Unless you suffer from a speech impediment, yes…you can be a voiceover artist. There is no such thing as “having the right voice” and no one can tell you for certain if you will be a success. There is no test or assessment that can help you to determine if you can perform voiceovers for a living. We believe that anyone who has the drive and determination to do this, can do it. Having the right attitude, a willingness to learn and a commitment to hard work are the deciding factors in voiceover success.
You must crawl before you can run. If your primary goal is to be a cartoon voice, a character actor or an impressionist but you have no previous VO experience…slow down. Your goals are not impossible but they are lofty. You must learn the basics of the industry and be able to perform simple reads first. You must find YOUR voice before creating characters.
Many voice talent earn an average or above average income (roughly $40,000 to $60,000 per year) and many also make millions of dollars. If you take your training seriously and you practice every day, anything is possible! But the right assistance is paramount.
If you're ready to proceed and still as fired-up as ever about becoming a voiceover talent - then let's do it! VOCareer.com is here to help you each step of the way. NOW move on to STEP 2. (link back to main start page) |
|