At The Talent Group, we probably receive over one hundred calls a month from people who “have been told that they have the perfect voice” for television commercial voice-overs. Terrific…having a rich-sounding voice is a good start however what can you do with it?  James Earl Jones and Kathleen Turner are hired, and make a lot of money, for their specific, identifiable delivery.  But if you’re not James Earl Jones or Kathleen Turner…or even Martin Sheen, you have to have more than a one-sound delivery. And that is why a lot of “unknown” actors do incredibly well as they can look at commercial copy and bring to life what the copy writer had in mind when it was being written. And sometimes a director may not know what  type of read he or she wants so they want to make certain that whoever  is in the “booth” can take direction well and can offer variations of the same read; whether it be intimate or conversational, upbeat or sexy or the often requested “ a read with a smile.”  It’s good if you can do a character voice but more often than not a talent will be booked doing a variation of their “normal voice.” Not every actor needs to have (or should have!) a voice demo.  Not every actor is cut-out for voice-overs and conversely, not every voice talent can do (or should do) on-camera.

How do you know if you have what it takes?  Try this: first of all, pay attention to the commercials that run during “prime time” television. What do the reads sound like? How do they vary? Now go through magazines  and find advertisements for a variety of products; perhaps a perfume or cosmetic, a food or beverage, a car, insurance company, a cell phone…whatever.  Keep in mind that this copy was written rather specifically to be read and not spoken, but it will suffice.  Now get a feel for what the copy is trying to convey and find “your voice” for each and record it.  Four or five reads will do it.  Now review, do you sound the same in all?

So if you find that you think you do have what it takes—the ability to give your “normal voice” different qualities, to breathe life into an otherwise dull script, to bring those written words to life, then yes, you should consider pursuing this field.  Call your local union-franchised talent agency (and yes, The Talent Group does represent voice over talent) and start to put together your own demo.  The agencies you contact may be able to point you in the right direction of a good production studio or you may want to see what you can find from googling.  However, if you find that your voice just doesn’t quite sound all that different no matter how hard you try, than perhaps you should take that compliment of how “perfect your voice is” as just that: a compliment.

By Richard Kohn of The Talent Group
richard@talentgroup.com
http://www.talentgroup.com
(412)471-8011