A reader of The Magazine of Santa Clarita wrote in about breaking into voiceover and I promised to lay out over the next few months the skill-sets that most people in the areas of stage, film and television, singing, instructing, public speaking and on-air talent possess, and show how they apply to voice acting. Last month I talked about instructors. This month I’ll talk about public speakers.
Q: I’m a public speaker, and wonder if I could be successful in voiceovers. I speak in front of large and small audiences, I’m behind a microphone and entertain and deliver my subject matter well. My stage-actress wife and my film actor brother-in-law wonder whether they might be good candidates for voiceover work. Any ideas whether we could be successful?—Jack W., Valencia
A: Professional public speakers bring together the attributes of stage actors and instructors. They’re comfortable and enthusiastic talking about their subject matter, and many use physicality in their performances to enhance their message. They also have solid microphone technique, whether they use a headset or standing behind a podium. They have a good sense of timing, pacing and humor, and are usually very articulate.
Public speakers thinking of transitioning into voiceover need to realize that in a studio, they’re talking to just one person, not an entire audience; that they’re not making a speech, but telling a story; that they have no props or PowerPoint programs to fall back on—just the words that come out of their mouth. So instead of a stage and spotlight and large audience, they’re in a small booth with a microphone, with an audience of one or two (the director and the engineer) or none (if they’re recording in their home studio—alone). If they don’t mind this new setting, they have a decent shot at a career in voiceover.
Next month I’ll explain why on-air talent have a lot of the skill sets necessary for a successful voiceover career.
Cashman Commercials © 2009
Marc Cashman creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television. Winner of over 150 advertising awards and named by AudioFile Magazine as “Best Voice of the Year,” he instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, CA, and does One-on-One coaching via phone and the Internet. He can be contacted at cashcomm@earthlink.net or his website, www.cashmancommercials.com .