When “Avengers – The Age of Ultron” came out, it was pretty much impossible to avoid any kind of news surrounding the movie. After all, this was a big-budget superhero flick that broke box-office records, thanks to stellar production and top notch marketing.
Of course, there were big names involved in the cast list, which also played a role in propelling the film right to the top. Apart from the primary cast, there was another big name offering his voice-over skills – James Spader. James Spader had voiced the antagonist, Ultron.
Hollywood has always used big names to voice its animated characters. However, this may not be the wisest strategy. A big name might attract moviegoers, but, once fans realize the character and the voice don’t go hand in hand, they’re likely to find things disappointing.
That’s the thing about voice-acting. People already know what their favorite actor sounds like. But, when that actor voices a character who is supposed to come off as something else altogether, confusion prevails. In the Avengers, the evil robot Ultron just ended up sounding like The Practice’s Alan Shore (a popular TV show character played by James Spader).
The drawback of having a big-name voice actor
An animated character who sounds like your favorite actor is a recipe for distraction. It is bound to sway your attention towards the voice rather than the plot or the storyline. Voice-actors need to make sure they sound like the characters they’re supposed to play; not the other way around. In such a scenario, using a big name might turn out to be more of a risk than a benefit.
On the other hand, a small-name voice-over talent won’t prove to be a problem. Plus, by choosing the new guy or gal, the movie industry is opening up doors to a host of professional voice actors, who, thanks to the big name trend, haven’t been able to move up in their careers.
Lesser-known is a safer bet
Hiring lesser-known voice talent not only benefits your production, but, it benefits an entire industry. There is also the advantage of paying less for more. A big name is going to cost you, while presenting the risks we mentioned above.
On the other hand, a small name could offer the same voiceover value for a far smaller price.
Giving opportunities to the “small guy” allows the industry to expand and opens up doors to all kinds of fresh talent. You could end up finding someone who’s better than James Spader!
ABOUT ROBERTA –
Roberta is a Professional AND award Winning International Voiceover Actor, as well as an accomplished on-camera actress and spokesperson. She lives in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area and is the owner of Roberta Kennedy Voice Talent and RK Productions, Inc.
She voices for companies around the world using her state of the art, broadcast quality studio. She’s hired for commercials, web demos and explainer videos, product infomercials, documentaries, promo/imaging, political ads, e-learning videos, podcasts, guided real estate tours, telephony/IVR projects, high profile corporate presentations, video games and character animation.
Her voice is described as: playful, contemporary, compelling, commanding, inviting, sultry and smooth. A hip edge with sophistication, bold, warm, interesting and engaging are also commonly used adjectives to describe her voice.
Her home studio is equipped with ipDTL, ISDN and phone patch capability with lightning fast turnaround times! A voiceover talent with over 20 years of voiceover acting experience, she offers a full range of voiceover services at highly competitive rates & will work with your budget to help you promote your business to new levels of excellence!
To request a personal quote or audition and/or to review more of her credits & demos, feel free to visit her website: www.robertakennedy.com – or mail her atroberta@robertakennedy.com. You can even give her a call on (408) 313-7202.