Voice Over Artist

NATURE OF WORK:

The term voice-over refers to a production technique where a disembodied voice is broadcast live or pre-recorded in radio, television, film, theatre and/or presentation. Someone who also appears on-screen in other segments may speak the voice-over or a specialist voice actor may perform it. Voice-over is also commonly referred to as “off camera” commentary.The term voice-over can also refer to the actual voice actor who performed the recording. The terms voice actor, narrator, voice artist, announcer, dubbing artist are all similarly used.

A voice over is a narrative technique in which an unseen actor’s lines are heard over visual elements in a movie or commercial. The narrator of a documentary or the announcer introducing a talk-show host is considered a voice over artist.

In film, the filmmaker places the sound of a human voice (or voices) over images shown on the screen that may or may not be related to the images being shown. In radio, voice-overs are an integral part of the success of the radio programme. Although the announcer holds the prestige and claims all the glory, it is the voice-over artist that is the real drive behind the show.A working voice over artist is not always expected to create his or her own interpretation of the script. The director of the film or commercial will often suggest various ways to read the lines in order to match the needs of the client or audience. This requires some degree of patience on the part of voice over artists, who may spend hours in a recording studio rereading individual lines until the director is satisfied. Sometimes a line could be changed if it proves too difficult to read or runs over the time allotted, but more often than not, a voice over artist must create a unique sound from whatever the client wants to emphasize in the commercial.

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

A dubbing or voice over artist should be fluent in the language but also versatile enough to match inflection, lip sync, tone & pauses to synchronize with the gestures and body language of the character in the original soundtrack or visuals. Clarity of your voice, clarity of your diction, dialogue delivery and emotion in your voice are the key differentiators of a known voice over professional. Voice-over is required when an audio in a particular language needs to be replaced with an audio in a different language. Mostly advertisements, corporate presentations, computer-based-training modules, online training, documentaries, movies, etc. require voice-over to enable use of these items in a different region or country.

The voice-over artists are selected based on their gender, age, voice tone and style. Voice over work is usually found through open auditions, talent agency representation or an introductory voice reel containing the candidate’s best work to date.

MARKET SCENARIO:

A talented voice over artist can have a very long and lucrative career, but there is a significant amount of competition for assignments. Many screen and television actors with distinctive voices are highly in demand for commercial voice over work. Advertising agencies typically listen to hundreds of voices looking for the one that most perfectly fits what they are trying to convey. In other words, It’s nice work if you can get it, but be aware, It’s a very a competitive environment.

Many voiceover artists pursue voiceover work through advertising agencies while making their living working as an on-air personality within the broadcast industry. With the globe shrinking, voicing from in house studios as well as outsourcing of voice over artistes is a common phenomenon and one that is enabling the industry to provide a plethora of opportunities for aspirants of this field.

Within India:

In India, where multilingual nature exists in abundance and with the massive expanse of media, entertainment and technology in the recent past, niche vocation such a voicing have emerged a strong contender amidst the arena of established professions. With the rise in the animation industry, voices over artists have been in great demand for dubbing and recording work.

Overseas:

In the U.S.A there are more than six thousand radio and television stations, and thousands of commercials are produced each year. This enormous potential applies to most countries. Every country in the world needs professionally trained voiceovers

COURSE REQUIRED:

• Voice Over Training Through PSR Method
  
• Voice Modulation Training
  
• Master Of Arts - M.A (Linguistics)
  
• Master Of Arts - M.A (Phonetics)
  
• Voice Over Casting