Making a living in the profession of theatre is a chancy business.  Having a creative outlet for all one’s training and experience is an on-again-off-again proposition.  Because of this virtually every working actor pursues non-traditional ways of finding income and practicing their craft.  One large and very common source of income and creative outlet is the voice over.

“Voice overs” or “Voice Acting” are an extremely common source of creative outlet, not to mention income, for working actors.  You hear voice overs everywhere.  They are the off-camera voices in the television commercials you watch, the advertisements you hear on radio, the voices of the characters in animated films and the voice that narrates the training CD you’ve just been sent by your company.  (In fact, the diversified corporate video/CD-ROM field has recently expanded the voice over field across the country and out of the exclusivity of the major markets such as New York, Chicago and LA.)

Robert Cohen, author of the definitive book for working actors, Working Professionally, describes the skills necessary for being successfully employed as a voice-over artist:

“The techniques of voiceover performance are daunting, but – for most actors –learnable.  You have to be able to speak with great clarity, particularly in the CD-ROM field where audio quality is not up to broadcast standards.  You have to speak rapidly with high energy…you should be able to do a variety of voices.”

I would add to this from my years of doing voice over work, that it helps for the voice over actor to have a built-in sense of timing.  Often it is the skill of the performer that fits all those words into a 30 second spot.  Additionally, the voice over performer, like the on-stage performer, needs to know how to sell the idea…what words to emphasize, how to breathe at the most efficient moment and how to connect viscerally with that unseen audience.

And, it helps to have a facility with language.  In a recent CD-ROM medical narration I did, I was required to say, with complete believable medical authority:

Fungal microorganisms responsible for onychomycosis include dermatophytes, yeasts, and nondermatophyte molds. Most cases—more than 90%—are caused by dermatophytes, primarily Trichophyton rubrum and, to a lesser extent, T mentagrophytes. About 8% of cases are due to molds, including Scopulariopsis, Scytalidium, Acremonium, and Fusarium. Candida species cause less than 1% of cases. Onychomycosis often is seen in association with tinea pedis.

Lamasil Launch CD-ROM Narration

Novatis Pharmaceuticals, International