What are the first steps to becoming a voice actress?
Hi, my name is Kiera and I am a high school senior. I have taken an interest of wanting to become a voice actress, so I was wondering how should I start in order to reach my goal I should take. #acting #voice-acting #voice-over
2 answers
Daniela Silva
Daniela’s Answer
Hi Kiera,
With step-by-step explanations and an abundance of examples, this guide clues you in on recording and producing voice-overs and promoting yourself as a voice actor with info on:
Creating your first demo, a short audio recording used to promote yourself and demonstrate the types of voices you can perform
Finding your signature voice, no matter whether you’re young or old or have an accent or not, and then leveraging your previous life experiences into recording compelling, believable voice-overs that clients will love
Getting the bare necessities (if you don’t already have them), including a microphone, recording software, and an audio card
Using audio-editing software and adding bed music and sound effects for a signature finishing touch
Interpreting scripts, deciphering characters, directing yourself, and delivering believable performances
Recording, understanding file formats, and capturing or minimizing ambient noise
More practical information in:
https://www.voices.com/help/beginners-guide-to-voice-acting
Best!
Steve’s Answer
I started by taking 2 VO classes at https://www.actingstudiochicago.com/. (They may have Zoom classes now, but mine were in person, several years ago.)
Once I learned about technique and the industry, I made a commercial demo, and started to look for work! You will need to choose if you are going to go the Union or Non-Union VO route, and a solid VO class instructor will be able to illustrate the main differences between each.
If non-union (like I did), you can join "pay-to-play" job sites like voices.com, voice1-2-3.com, and the other freelance sites like fiver.com. Spend time on your profiles, and make them look great - these will be your first impression in the marketplace! Also, think about companies that have VO needs. Are there companies near you that produce video or audio routinely? Does their phone system need an upgrade from a robot voice? Do they do corporate training videos?
You can also look into narration! Audible's platform for narrators is called ACX: https://www.acx.com/help/narrators/200484550
Hope that helps!