Become a voice actor

Video: How to start a Voice Acting Career (vo demos, agents, auditions, more)

Content

To step
Part 1 of 3: Developing your talent
Part 2 of 3: Selling yourself
Part 3 of 3: Auditioning
Tips
Warnings

Voice actors lend their voices to characters in cartoons and television shows, provide commentary in documentaries, and record radio commercials. If you enjoy acting and have a unique voice, you may have a great career ahead! Improving in your profession, making your voice heard and having a lot of auditions, that's what it's all about, because it is a tough industry with a lot of competition. Becoming a voice actor is not for faint-hearted. But with great perseverance, the will to work a lot and the right knowledge, all opportunities are open to become a voice actor.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Developing your talent

Practice reading aloud. Efficient reading out loud is essential for voice actors, especially if your job requires you to read from an autocue or script. Read out loud books, magazines or newspaper articles regularly to get used to them. Do this for at least 30 minutes a day. Practice your articulation and your intonation. As a challenge, try changing your voice when reading out loud.
- Read all kinds of texts to improve your voice. You can start with comics, then tackle more difficult work like "The Hobbit" and keep poetry for the end. It should never sound like you're reading, but it should sound like a performance. It is your job to bring words to life.
Record your voice. Read monologues or a script and record yourself. Then replay the recordings and take notes to improve your voice. Hearing your own voice can be strange! The sound of your voice in a recording is not the same as the sound you hear when you speak. Try to get used to your recorded voice so that you can express yourself efficiently in a microphone.
Use your diaphragm. When listening to your voice, try to hear the difference between a voice coming from your nose, mouth, chest, or diaphragm. A nasal voice sounds unpleasant and whiny, a mouth voice sounds very quiet, a chest voice sounds pleasant and a diaphragm voice sounds the most powerful and round. To develop the diaphragm voice, take a deep breath and watch your stomach rise and fall. Make noises coming from the diaphragm, such as laughing or yawning. If you get used to this, you just have to learn to tune your voice to it. A voice teacher can help you speak from your diaphragm.
Do voice exercises. There are exercises with which you can learn to control and improve your voice. Most are based on how you breathe. For example, you can hum a scale while blowing through a straw to control your breath. You can lie on the floor and take a deep breath and exhale to a "shj" sound. Even if you just sit up straight with your shoulders back, your voice may sound different. You can also practice tongue twisters for good articulation, such as "Boy the handsome barber cuts and cuts very handsome, but the boy the handsome barber's servant cuts and cuts even more handsome than the handsome barber cuts and trims."
Imitate voices of famous actors or cartoon characters. By learning how to imitate a sound, you become more flexible in your use of voice, you learn to recognize pitch and intonation and you get good material that you can include in your demo. You don't have to be an impersonator to become a tribe actor, but it is good to be able to change the sound of your voice. In this way you develop a wide range of possibilities and also your acting skills. Try not only to imitate the voice, but also to adopt the personality so that you rather bring the character to life instead of just imitating its sound.
- As a beginner, first imitate familiar voices that are easy to recognize.
Take on the role of your character and improvise. Improvisation is an important skill for voice actors, because this is what directors expect from you. This skill allows you to actually play a character and think just like him. After you get into the character's skin, try to come up with a funny story like that character on the spot. If you want help, a friend can ask you questions that you answer in the way you think your character would answer. For example, if you play Kermit the frog, you can come up with a story where you ask Miss Piggy out.
Take acting classes or find an acting coach. This allows you to develop your acting talent. While you never see voice actors on screen, they have to be extremely talented actors to get their lines right. Remember that voice acting is in some cases more difficult than normal acting because you don't have other actors you work with and the audience can't see your facial expressions, hand gestures or movements. No object helps you to convey your message. All emotions and your entire personality are only expressed through your voice.
- If you are still in school, participate in the theater program and audition for any plays or monologues that are performed. If you no longer go to school, register with the local drama association.
Take voice lessons. If you take regular voice lessons (at least once a week), you will increase your vocal range and better control the volume and tone of your voice. Don't hesitate to try different voice teachers to choose the best one for you. A good voice teacher not only teaches you good technique and control, but also helps you find your own unique voice.
- A good voice teacher will also teach you how to warm up your voice. There are several voice warm-up exercises. You can start vibrating your lips by blowing out air and making a "brrr" sound. Then yawn open-mouthed and sigh while smiling to stretch your jaw.

Part 2 of 3: Selling yourself

Make a demo. In this way, a voice actor shows his or her talents in the job search. Your demo may contain real work or imitations of characters / scenarios that already exist. It is important that you have a high-quality demo that shows what you can do and contains the whole range of your possibilities and skills. You can record this demo yourself or have it done professionally. If you do it yourself, make sure the sound is good and there is no background noise. Nothing should take your attention away from your voice.
- A professional demo can cost hundreds of euros. In addition, you do not get a guarantee that the demo is good, only that the recording is of good quality. The content of your demo is the most important. With a good microphone in a quiet room at home you can already make a high-quality recording.
- Start strong and show your best work in the first 30 seconds of your demo. A potential employer will probably only listen for 30 seconds, so start with the best you have. A demo should be relatively short, no longer than two minutes, and get straight to the point, namely that you briefly demonstrate different voices.
- If you are making a demo for a specific job you want to land, make sure your demo is relevant. For example, if you are auditioning for a male character, they are most likely not interested in your impersonation of an old lady.
Prepare a resume. Often you have to have work to get work and that is not easy if you start right. Try to build up experience so that you can create a resume. Take acting classes, take workshops to create your own YouTube channel with self-written content, sign up with the local drama society, record an e-book or find any relevant voice work to get started. This will make it appear that you have experience for directors and develop your skills.
- For voice actors, it is more important to have a good resume than beautiful photos. Professional photos are a nice touch, but they cost hundreds of dollars and are not important to directors, because their appearance is not important to their work.
Find an agent. Like other actors, a voice actor's career can be stimulated by an agent representing him. Your agent will notify you of auditions in the area and try to find the right jobs for you. They know how to sell and manage your career. They negotiate your salary and earn commissions on your work. They are informed about work that you yourself cannot know about. Send your demo and resume to talent hunters near you. Choose someone you trust and with whom you feel good.
- With an agent you can take your career to the next level. You must have already developed your voice and decided what kind of voice work you want to do before hiring an agent.
- Find an agent who specializes in voice work. Decide whether you want to work for television, movies or radio and find an agent who specializes in that industry.
Send your demo and resume to studios. Find the studios in your area and send them your demo and resume. If you want to travel, you can even send your demo and resume all over the country. You will have to wait and be prepared to get a lot of rejections. Studios get hundreds of demos and they may be looking for something other than what you propose. However, just because they don't immediately answer positively doesn't mean they'll never be interested. Maybe they just don't have a role for you now, but they liked your demo and are keeping it for the future.
Create an online portfolio. By having an online presence, you can boost your career. You can create a website with WordPress, you can show your talents on YouTube or you can use social media via accounts that you create especially for your career and market yourself. Directors are increasingly scouring the internet in search of talent. If someone has heard of you, you want them to be able to easily find you and see what you can do. By creating online pages that focus only on your work, you can sell yourself better.
Find the right place. If you really want to make a career as a voice artist, it is best to live in a city where there is work for voice actors. Although things sometimes go differently thanks to the internet, it is still good to live where the most opportunities arise.

Part 3 of 3: Auditioning

Participate in open auditions. Even if you do not have an agent and have not yet received a job from a studio, you can participate in open auditions. Anyone can participate in an open audition. Know that many people participate in open auditions and that you only have a short time to show what you can do.
- Even though you are very unlikely to get a role at open auditions, they are good practice and give you the chance to get used to auditions. In addition, the directors get to see you.
Audition online. Since voice acting can be done simply with a microphone, you can even audition from home. You can find job offers online. Online opportunities are changing the way casting is done and auditioning online is a great option if you don't live in a big city.
Participate in auditions as often as possible. Some say the real deal for an actor is to audition. That's because there is a lot of competition in the acting world. You will likely have to go through a lot of auditions to get just one job out of the fire, and when you finish it, you'll have to audition everywhere again. Therefore, it is best that you just accept the entire audition process and participate in as much as possible. This will keep you alert and keep your voice in shape in case you are offered a job. The more auditions you do, the higher the chance that you will be selected.
- Also take part in auditions for roles you are unsure of. You never know what a director has in mind.
Prepare yourself. Make sure your voice is warm and your voice is hydrated. Prepare the script and know how you will read it. At some auditions they only let you read one line, so it is important that you read it correctly. This will also help you control your nerves in a stressful audition environment. Also, be prepared to read other dialogues separate from the screenplay, in case the directors want to see what you can do.
- Get into your character's mind and go beyond just the words written on the page. Who is the character? What does he think is important? Why does he say these words? It can help to write down your ideas about a character to understand the main characteristics of him. This is how you bring the character to life.
Be on time. If you are auditioning, you have to be on time. Please arrive 10–15 minutes early to make sure you will be on time. This allows you to get used to the environment and repeat your script.
Wear appropriate clothing. Even though it is not important for voice acting how you look, your appearance says a lot. Therefore, make sure you wear appropriate clothing. Don't wear an old frayed T-shirt. You have to look professional and don't forget the character you are auditioning for.
- For example, if you're auditioning for a ninja, you shouldn't wear a costume, but a black buttoned T-shirt is a good choice to interpret the role with professional attire.

Tips

Keep your voice healthy by drinking a lot and not smoking.
Rest your voice from time to time. That is good for the health of your voice.
Make sure you make agreements with your agent about your and his wages. Some agents take higher commissions than others.
If you start early (for example: as a child), you often find a job in this business more quickly.
There is a lot of competition for voice acting. You must have a unique voice and be an extremely talented actor to succeed in this career.