Most people outside of the voice over industry tend to regard the job as one of the most cushy and rewarding careers possible. That being said, the truth is often misconstrued and quite the contrary. While it is no doubt a highly entertaining career option that typically comes with its massive set of perks and hefty pay packets, the voice over industry requires artists that have not only mastered the craft with their abundant talent, but are also willing to work at short notices. Here is a list of a few extraordinary behind the scene secrets of the voice over industry that might prove to be an interesting read.
The artists are always on call
As aforementioned, the industry is booming at an unprecedented pace and requires the artists to be ready to perform at the drop of a hat. While the larger projects involving animated films and shows still follow the work pattern of specific schedules and group sessions, the commercial gigs regularly incorporate ISDN connections that are provided in the artists’ homes for the purpose of phone in performances. The artists are often hired within a 10-minute notice and required to work on a major chunk of their solo performances from home.
The artists love working with vocal props
Despite the fact that computers are extensively used for altering the tempo of a dialogue to make it faster or slow it down, the VOAs often make use of random objects within the studio to achieve the desired effects. For instance, as a veteran VOA of Ducktales and Transformers fame Corey Burton says, he can end up sticking his head inside a wastebasket to achieve the sound distortion of a character that is trapped within a hollow tree. If the effect is not as expected, he might even throw in a few wads of Kleenex to achieve better acoustics! And that’s not all! Most artists prefer chomping on real food while working on shots that involve characters eating.
The artists can be put on ‘hold’ without pay
Referred to as the ‘avail’ in the industry, the artists are required to block an afternoon or even a few days as reserved for a particular recording. The sad part is that with such ‘avails’ the employer is not exactly obligated to actually offer the artists a performance. Also, while the artists are put on standby for the time being, they cannot take up any other bookings or sessions unless their employer frees them up. More often than not, the artists on ‘avail’ do not get to know that they are not needed for the recording until a day before the session.
The artists also work as movie extras
Scenes that involve background chatter for example a restaurant full of people, often require the voice over artists to take up the role of the ‘loop group’ and mouth the extras. In such scenes, while the audio is focused largely on the leading character and his dialogues, the background people are asked to merely move their lips without making a sound. It is the voice over artists that are then required to match the movement of their lips and record the sound.
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 at roberta@robertakennedy.com. You can even give her a call on (408) 313-7202.