Happy Independence Day, USA
Yes this is how I hear my voice in my head as I read. I read everything as if I am watching a documentary and I can hear the narration in my head complete with visuals and music.
No tricks here, just me recording myself reading this article out loud with my voice recorder on my phone and putting it in Canva - then poof!
This is what I tell all aspiring voice actors: this is where you start.
Record yourself reading things aloud but match your style and delivery with whatever it is you are "selling".
This is my "Liev Shreiber" narration voice. Long form, even steady narration or instructional videos.
If I am reading a cereal box, it would be more goofy, character driven. Car ad - strong manly delivery. Concert spot - raspy if it's rock, "Disney fun" and a higher tone and energy if it's "Kidz Bop" or whatever...
Record yourself in the different styles and delivery of whatever you find around you.
THEN BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF. Compare what you are hearing of yourself to the professional voice career direction you want to pursue.
Audio books? Read and record one chapter of your favorite book, or, if you are up to it, record yourself doing a whole book!
Messages on hold? phone prompts? same thing...over and over.
Basically emulate the best at what they do in the field you think you would like to pursue and you will get a sense of what you like and don't like to do as a job... because voice work will be a job! VERY COMPETITIVE!
This is how I narrowed my voice career focus. I don't do audio books. Yes the pay is great, but it proved too mind-numbing for me. I just don't want to hear myself that much! Woof!
Record yourself...better yet record yourself while everyone is watching or listening, because that's what happens during live voice sessions!
LIVE ALWAYS PAYS MORE! Because not every voice person can do this.
You are booked for a live voice session with an agent, the client, the copywriter, creative director and they are zoomed in
Ridgefield Playhouse "Jessie's Girl/Disco Nights" :60 radio commercial
VO for Disney Sleep on airing on "Daily Flash"...(yawn) good night
My next gig. I wrote, voiced and produced the radio commercial, I used Canva for this video and now I will be the MC!
God I love the smell of a fresh microphone first thing in the morning...(and hate the smell of a used one at the end of the day...but that's another chapter in my book)
Ridgefield Playhouse 60 second radio commercial airing on Oldies 98.9 - Martin Barre of "Jethro Tull", The Guess Who, and Jim Messina
I am back in Dothan, AL on a commercial for Bondy's Kubota!
*As a cool little personal side note: My dad bought our family Chrysler vehicle at Bondy's when I was a child and now to have them as a client since 1998, it always gives me a thrill to produce these spots! My thanks as always to Marketing Services.
Here is a behind the scenes look at one of my voiceovers, where the agency sent me the mockup video so I can hear the music and see the visuals to help my performance, which it does tremendously! Instead of having to guess what it will sound like or look like, I can watch it in real time and feel the vibe of the music, see the visuals, and read their script off the screen! Then I send them the finished audio. Then they do all the work with cleaning it up and removing the script notes and getting it ready for national distribution. But these are the VO's I love because I do it in real time and basically one or two takes! Fun Fun!
Cirque Du Liban, in Lebanon (country) pretty neat
If you ever find yourself at the CIRQUE DU LIBAN THEATRE in Lebanon (for real) for their show "PLUMA" - YOU KNOW WHO THE ANNOUNCER IS!
https://www.cirqueduliban.com/
Another successful DLS VOICE PRODUCTION and a chance to do my Santa voice!
Thank you CAP Productions and author Theresa Radke