Get Real!

 What’s in a name?

Specifically – “voiceover artist”, a category that covers a range of sins…er…’talents’?

Among other things --such as drinking a lot -- “voiceover artists” do all sorts of things:

•       store announcements (‘Please do not panic. It is the Great Earthquake. Everyone is going to die.”)             video game characters (Geezers, kids, robots and heroes)
•         English language tapes (This is a peanut—but this is a penis)….
•        taglines for TV commercials (“Slat (pronounced “slut’—the drink for girls who care”)
•          animation (always redubbed in LA so WTF)    
•          movie trailers (Terminator #23) , TV commercial narration (Bleah, bleah, bleah)  
•        TV commercial character voices (skitter, skitter…what does a cockroach sound like?).   
•          the News (oh fuck the teleprompter’s dead)
•         DJs on FM (just relax and listen to my voice …you are in my power…you are in my power…) 
•      PR Video narration (Dildo Incorporated – contributing to the happiness of all mankind and working  to protect the environment  while assuring global peace, makes a wide range of advanced technology vibrating products).

Listen carefully children – the Medium IS the message!

Doing character voices may not be the same for video games as it is for TV commercials .  TV commercial narration is  not the same --as it is for PR video narration (although many “narrators” don’t seem to know that)   News broadcasters have their own (mostly generic) “talk”. As do DJ’s (ditto “generic”).

Yeah, yeah you know that! (Do I hear indignation?)  That’s why your sample tape has all sorts of different styles and voices, you say.

Most voice artists are actors manqué. As a leading man or woman is hugely proud of his/her looks and ability to act , so voice people are proud of their voices – and – yes – also -- their ability to act.

So voice samples show off the voice – and “acting”.

But here’s the irony.

The best actors don’t look like actors when they’re working – they look – and sound like real people.  That’s the thespian art. Looking natural --looking real.  For voice people that’s usually sounding natural, sounding real.