I know, I know: you didn’t start voice-over so someone could tell you to take a nap. You started because you love acting, storytelling, characters, commercials, games, animation, narration, or maybe making money from a padded room in pajama pants. …
When people imagine the life of a working voice actor, they usually picture someone stepping into a booth, reading a few lines into a microphone, and cashing a check. Yes, recording is part of it – but it’s not the …
We love potatoes as fries, chips, and salads. But “potato” has also taken on a disparaging meaning: any technological device that seems low-quality or out-of-place is, wryly, deemed a “potato.” The phone camera that catches a sudden case of 2008 …
Sound is at the core of our careers. It informs nearly every decision we make, from the subtle inflection in a winning audition to the placement of an acoustic panel in our home studio. Yet, many voice actors don’t really …
There’s a moment in every voice actor’s career when the silence hits a little differently. It might be the client who’s worked with you regularly, then suddenly isn’t. Or the audition you felt you nailed but fell on deaf ears. …
People often think that doing voice-over is a simple way to make a lot of money without much effort: that all you need to do is buy a microphone, read from a script, and then just wait for the money …
In voice-over, the difference between a good read and a great one often comes down to nuance. A lot of people can read a script clearly, but bringing it to life requires subtle choices, including shifts in tone, pacing, intention, …
“Speak up!” “Make your voice heard!” “The squeaky wheel gets the oil!” “Say it louder for those in the back!” Our world is full of cliches that make the loudest person the winner. Loudness in these cliches is a stand-in …
“You’re a voice actor? That’s my dream job!” Of course it is. We work from home, we play pretend for a living, and we get paid for using our voices. But what people don’t see are all the ups and …
In the evolving world of voice acting, talent may open the door, but expansion will determine how far you walk through it. Expansion as an actor isn’t just about landing bigger roles or mastering accents; it’s also about stretching yourself …
Terms like “authentic” and “believable” are part of voice-over, like “on fire” and “feeling it” are part of sports. They mean a performer is tapped into a common flow that permeates all experience. But as much as voice-over directing and …
If you’ve spent any amount of time in the world of voice-over, you’ve heard this direction more times than you can count: “Just sound natural.” It sounds simple. It sounds reasonable. It sounds like the opposite of pressure. And yet, …