Every time I attend a convention I am asked
How can I become a voice over actor?
So, I thought I would give you some tips on how to break into the biz.
First, why do you want to be a voice over actor? Do you have a passion for acting? An actor’s life is not always glamorous. In fact, it is mostly unpredictable. One day you’re busy and the next, you are waiting tables. Even with voice overs it sometimes makes a difference if you are young, cute, and the flavor of the month.
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Doing voiceovers is a fun business but you have to be realistic. Don’t drop your day job until you are well established. There is fierce competition these days, especially with online audition sites such as Voices.com or Voices123. Now-a-days anyone can become a voice over actor. All you have to do is pay up and start sending MP3’s to audition sites. The problem is, everyone and their brother is trying to do the same thing, so you better be good.
I, personally, am a little put off by pay for audition sites. In the Screen Actor’s Guild, this is a no no. We get paid by the job and do not have to pay to play.
The biggest bang for your buck as far as voice overs go are commercials. If you are dreaming about becoming rich and famous doing anime, dream on. The anime industry is coming to an almost screeching halt unless you are willing to go live in Texas. Unfortunately, our Texas buddies have settled for less than the going dubbing rate, which has undercut the Industry. Commercials offer residuals. They are awesome, especially if you can land a National Commercial. Some people have been known to put a hefty down payment on a house, simply from working for about 15 minutes.
Dubbing (as in anime) is a completely different animal than doing commercials or original animation. To be successful in original animation you have to be completely off the wall like Robin Williams. Be prepared to take improvisation classes.
Dubbing is highly technical. You have to be somewhat musical to get the rhythm to sync the dialogue to match the picture. Try writing scripts for anime. It’s like solving a Mensa puzzle. I did it for 10 years before tearing my hair out. With Pro-Tools and other advanced editing software, it is much easier than it was when I first started in the Stone Age.Pro Tools will and tweak until the track you laid down fits. The problem is ,there is some pretty bad dubbing out there as a result. We used to have to do a loop over and over until it fit, so we got pretty good at it.
To be a voice over actor these days it is becoming essential tohave a professional home studio. That is a whole learning curve in itself and I admit that I am not completely up to speed. I always loved going into a studio with a professional engineer and a director. Now you have to be a full service actor/engineer, director.
I would say your best bet is to start a podcast or go on Blog Talk Radio if you want to hear yourself on the airwaves. It’s free! You create your own celebrity and have virtually no competition. Sell stuff on your blog and you will become a millionaire entrepreneur. (or maybe you’ll earn a few hundred extra bucks a month) It’s all up to you!
If you have any questions about becoming a voice over actor, please leave a comment. Tweet and Share this post. Oh, and click on any of the banner ads. There are some cool ones. As I said, us voice over actors need to eat.
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About Rebecca Forstadt
Voice Actor, Anime Queen, Little Girl Voices.
Rebecca Forstadt, your blog about voice acting actually helps those who want to become voice actors. I find this interesting.
Thanks Ric. I’m glad it helped. If there is anything specific you want to know about voice acting let me know and I will answer it as a post. You can either leave a comment or go to http://www.rebeccaforstadt.com/about/contact-me/
So I wanted to know what kind of day job you had before you started being successful at voice acting. Was it the typical waitressing/bartending jobs that aspiring actors go for? Or something else?
Hi KowKow, Thanks for writing. Day job? I’ve never been a 9-5er. I don’t think I would know how. I did my share of waitressing. I was awful at it. I worked on some big TV shows doing wardrobe but I really wanted to be an actress. Now that I’m older, and don’t have a millionaire for a husband, I support myself as an entrepreneur. I sold cosmetics for a while and now I help people set up WordPress blogs. I’d really just love to take off and go traveling so if you want to leave a donation so I can go to Paris, it would be appreciated. LOL. Hope to hear from you again soon!
Rebecca
My name is christopher barber, 32, las vegas nv, us marine, model, runway, print, aspiring voice over actor, I would like to know where to begin, as far as trying to locate audition sites, I was told by james earl jones, no kidding around, himself that I should do what I can to try to become a voice actor, that was all I needed! Also how can I go about obtaining my screen actors guild card, I live in las vegas, and am always in contact with famous people as ive been working down on the strip for better than 10 years, but I get asked if I have a sag card, and I say no, and the convo stops there, u have my e mail pls respond. Ma’am
Hi Christopher, Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog and sorry it took so long to get back to you. Thank you for your service in the marines as well. There are online voice over sites such as Voices.com and Voices 123 that make it easy for beginners and non union talent to do auditions. You need to have a way to record from home and a decent microphone. It’s a good way to practice as well. I’m sure you could contact a local agent in Las Vegas to find out what you would need to get some work in your area. There is a voice over actor from Vegas named Dave Courvosier who is very active on social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Make sure to follow him . His website is http://www.courvo.com/
Hope that helps a little and good luck to you.
Rebecca Forstadt
http://www.rebeccaforstadt.com
Hi, Rebecca,
I have been thinking about working in this business for a long time now (it’s no understatement to say that ever since I was a kid I’ve been dreaming for a career in acting of some kind). Specifically in anime (although that is not all I plan on doing!) It’s just the fact that I don’t live in the US (I live in Canada), and I know the anime industry is big in the US, particularly Texas and others. I know I shouldn’t let country barriers stop me; I’ve also heard from advice I’ve gathered from other sources that it would be a good idea to start local, in theater or radio maybe (I’m working in a play right now). One more thing I’ve heard is that it isn’t really a good idea to move from one country to the US in order to find work as a voice actor. I know other VAs may have differing opinions on this subject, I was wondering if I may have yours as well? I would greatly appreciate it if you would get back to me, and I apologize if maybe I should’ve done more research on this first.
Hi Mark, Thanks for leaving a comment. I agree that it’s a good idea to have some kind of acting training. The voice over industry is pretty competitive, especially now that there are online audition sites. However, they may be good to get some practice in. I don’t know that it would be a good idea to go from country to country. See if you can get work in Canada. There aren’t very many anime studios at this time. I would go for commercials as they pay the best. Hope that helps a bit.
Rebecca Forstadt
http://www.rebeccaforstadt.com
Hey my name is Vicky and i live in texas. I am very interected in doing anime voice. i just dont know where to go in Texas to do it. i love the sujestions you make on your site and i am going to start using them right away.
Thanks Vicky. I’m glad you found it helpful. Good luck!
Hey! I’m 17 years old and aspire to become a voice over artist. I’ve been researching since I was 15, but I noticed it takes money just to begin. I’m not wealthy… I don’t really have any money to spare. I was wondering if it were possible to get experience for free for teenagers like myself? I don’t know… I just really want to do voice overs but have no idea how to begin without spending a dime. Is it even possible?
Hi Dayanna, Thanks for writing me. It would help to know where you live. If you are in an area where a lot of voice over work is done, your strategy may be different. Investing in any business takes a little start up money. However, you can make some good money if you’re talented and promote your business to the right people.
The first thing you need to do is take acting classes. It’s very difficult to just say you want to be a voice over actor if you aren’t really an actor. There are online audition sites that are good if you’re a beginner because you can practice. In order to get the best auditions they want you to pay for their service. I personally have a problem with that. In LA, when you have an agent, they don’t get paid until you do and then it is only 10% of what you make. You shouldn’t have to pay to audition.
The easiest way for anyone to become a voice over actor is to start their own podcast. Download audacity from the Internet for free and start recording or do youtube videos. Start developing voice characterizations. You will most likely get cast doing the voice you do the best. Don’t try to go outside of your range because there will be others who can do it better.
I hope that helps a little.
Yours,
Rebecca Forstadt
Hello, is there any way I can start voice acting right away? I am 15 years old and would like to start right away. I don’t want to wait until I’m older to start. I’d like to start now at a young age. Ive searched online it said its better for to get experience from being in plays. Although I’ve only been in 2 plays, people tell me that I have the talent. I know I should participate in more plays but I don’t want to waste my time doing more. Like I said, I’d like to start as soon as possible at a young age but if I don’t continue to participate in more plays, talent agents might not even want me for not being in many plays. Is it possible for me and my raw “talent” alone to start voice acting even without being in many plays? I can do different voices. I live in New Jersey. Not sure what good this info does, if any.
Hi Russell, You can start voice acting at any age. Whether you book a job or not is up to you and how talented you are. There are lots of young voice actors. If you live in New Jersey you may be able to find work in New York. You don’t necessarily have to do plays but improvisation classes would certainly help.
Yea I could look for a job in New York but when people look at a resume wouldn’t they look for people who have plenty of experience acting? They might not even bother with me.
Hi Russell, People don’t look at resumes for voice acting and casting directors don’t expect a 15 year old to have a bunch of experience. What they are concerned with is if your voice matches what they need for their project. You could be old, young, fat, skinny, experienced or not experienced. It all comes down to your voice and the way you perform your audition. Also, in voice acting, it is important to go in with a positive attitude. You can be sullen and negative for an on camera part, but for voice acting, producers want to work with someone who is easy to direct, positive and reliable.
Oh okay thanks. Also do you know how I can start looking for jobs in New York?
Hi Russell, Sorry to be so late answering this. I live in LA so I’m not so familiar with what’s available in New York. There are agents who handle kids under 18. You will have to get a directory of them and find out if you can be considered. If you go to Samuel French bookstore in New York, they have directories there. If any of them ask for money up front, run like the wind. You shouldn’t have to pay to audition. A legitimate agent gets paid 10% after you work a job.
Do you think I should just try looking for a job myself? These agencies probably need a headshot or two of me and I know my parents wouldn’t want to pay for that lol . Also, do agencies look at letter of recommendations? If so, if I were to make my own demo reel could I send it to you to listen to and if you like it, write a letter of recommendation for me? That’s if I do.
Hi Russell,
Voice Over agents don’t care about headshots or letters of recommendation. They only want to hear a demo reel. If you are under 18, you would have to have your parents permission to work. There are online voice over audition sites that are good to practice with but I don’t know if they have age restrictions and wouldn’t suggest you go out and meet anyone because they may not be legitimate.
Oh yea, they wouldn’t need a headshot ’cause I’d only need my voice lol. Got it mixed up with just an acting agency. Do you know of any websites online that have legitimate voice over auditions? And how do you feel about voices.com? Sorry if I keep asking too many questions, if this bothers you just let me know.
Hi Russell, To be completely honest, I haven’t figured out the legitimacy of online voice over audition sites. We were always told to never pay up front for auditions, however the industry has changed. I have a page at both Voices.com and Voices123 and have not paid for the premium membership. The auditions I get in my inbox all say you have to be a premium member to audition for the part. I think Voices.com is ok but I’ve heard some bad things about Voices123.
Hi Rebecca, I was wondering if you would talk to me more about the field of Voice Acting, I would love to work in animation and acting but I am also studying to be a Vet with voice acting on the side. My professor is having us do research on the career of our choice. I chose voice acting do to my high interest in it. I understand that not everyone can make it big, and I understand a good way to start is through commercials or even doing a radio blog to get yourself known. I’ve been an ameture voice actress for a while now, dubbing clips from small comics, with the artists permission of course, and even writing and performing scripts from a comic called Homestuck. I have a wide range and would love to further my career. If you could in the next few weeks contact me back and we could possibly discuss this further through email. I appreciate your time and help. Thank you.
Hi Condy,
I’d be happy to help you out with your research. What you might want to do is make a list of questions you want to ask me and then sent them by filling out the form at http://www.rebeccaforstadt.com/contact-me/ I will answer them ASAP. What I usually do is use the questions to put into a blog post (without a reference to you unless you would like one) and then it will help other aspiring voice-over actors as well.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Rebecca
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