Education and Voice Over Demos
By Stephanie Ciccarelli
March 12, 2007
An automobile is only of use if you know how to drive it! The same can be said of using your voice as a vehicle to acquire voice over work.
Find out why it is important to hone your voice over skills before you set out to get work - and also how go about doing it.
Before you drive a car you need to learn how to drive. While that may be obvious, starting out as a voice actor presents its own stipulations such as learning how to use the instrument (your voice) and the talents you were born with.
Just because you have been talking all your life doesn’t mean that voice over will come naturally to you!
Voice acting is an art, and very truly, it is acting. Although most voice work is recorded in the privacy of your own studio away from the glare of the cameras, a voice over will serve as a performance for the hundreds if not thousands of people who will receive the message you are giving voice to.
Studying with a voice over coach who will help you to assess your talent and develop your skills is the best preparation and nourishment that you can invest in to build a solid foundation for your voice over career.
Before the home recording studio, calling agents for representation and approaching the union for membership, it is more than advisable to consult a teacher of voice over who will instruct, mentor, and prepare you for a lifetime of using your voice to make a living.
When you are ready, your instructor will encourage you to record a professional voice over demo. A voice over demo is a brief sampling of your capabilities that demonstrates your personal style, brand and highlights your natural talents.
Over the years, we've featured several voice over instructors on the VOX Daily blog and recently on the VOX Talk podcast.
If you are looking for a voice over coach in your area, one of the best places to start searching is at voice talent and presenter Harlan Hogan's website where a wonderful list of voice over coaches resides. Harlan has gathered dozens of contacts and segmented them geographically in the United States as well as international voice over coaches.
Maybe you've already discovered Harlan Hogan and his voice over coaching list...
Did Harlan's resource help you to connect with an instructor? Leave a comment!
Best,
Stephanie
Technorati Tags: Voices.com, Voice Over Demos, Harlan Hogan, Voice Over Coaches List, HarlanHogan.com, Voice Coach, Voice Overs, Voice Over Work, and Voice Over Jobs.
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Becoming a voice actor, working from your own home recording studio and auditioning for voice-over jobs is within your reach!
Stephanie,
Excellent thoughts today. The days when folks could slowly get up to speed by working at a radio station, learning as they go like I did, seem to be long gone is this age of Internet speed.
In fact, I don't think even an old hand like me can afford to sit still, which is why I continue to study with the best teachers I can find.
As I read the other day: "Even if you're on the right track, if you're not moving, you're going to get run over."
Be well,
Posted by:Bob
Good analogy.
A Canadian voice coach list would be super too.
Blair
Posted by:Thanks for the post Stephanie. I agree wholeheartedly with what you're saying. That's why I am hoping to jump start my career by studying with Nancy Wolfson.
Even though I have a background in radio, the landscape is certainly different now in VO than it was before the Internet was such an integral part.
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