How to start a dubbing career
In the more than two decades that I have been working in the media industry, friends and listeners have asked me on many occasions to offer classes or coaching so that they can share my experience. These requests were the motivation for me to start writing these media-related articles. In this issue, I will provide information on how to start an announcing career.
Announcers offer their services in a wide range of fields. You can hear their voices on radio, television, and Internet commercials; You can also hear his versatility and ability to act in video game characters.
Other opportunities for talented broadcasters include the phone messages you hear when you call any business or government institution. Finally, one that many people overlook, but that requires the announcers to be experts in their craft is cartoon voices. Imagine any cartoon you’ve seen on television. Have you ever stopped to think who is making those voices? Voice Talents.
If you want to be a broadcaster, the first thing to know is that you will not be alone, but the opportunities will also be wide. Did I mention book stories? Think of all the books on CD that people can buy or just download and listen to while riding in their cars. It’s a convenient way to take advantage of the time people lose in traffic jams during rush hours or on long trips. This article will also give you information on how to start and master your recording studio.
Launching her voice-over career
To begin with, I must warn you that succeeding in this race will not be easy, because the competition is so huge that it is all over the world through the Internet; However, the good news is that the industry is now at your fingertips. If after these facts you still want to become an announcer, then you should follow these steps:
- Start training your voice and speech apparatus. Start by warming up your vocal chords by humming the National Anthem or the national anthem of your country for 5 minutes, notice that I said humming, not singing.
- After warming up, start reading different types of materials aloud and keep reading for at least an hour every day. Read naturally and clearly, do not affect your voice in your reading trying to imitate the tonality of commercial speakers. Be yourself.
- After you’ve done this for a week, start recording your sessions in front of a microphone or digital recorder; however, I must warn you, prepare for disappointment! Most professional announcers did not like their voice when they first heard it on the recording and many of them still do. However, this is a necessary step, as you must start listening to yourself so that you can begin to notice your mistakes.
- Start listening to commercials on television and radio with a critical ear, now paying attention to the enunciation of words, tonality and fluency of the announcer. Do this systematically. Also, watch a lot of cartoons as this is an industry where voice acting artists have a huge market.
- Even if you feel like you sound like Don Lafontaine you still need a lot of training, keep practicing.
- Use your tape recorder and record a commercial on television or radio, write it on your computer and record it in your own voice, then compare it to the commercial you recorded on radio or television.
- Now that you have done this, if you have a good sense of criticism, you will realize that it is time to take your career to the next step, take it seriously and hire a speech coach who can guide you the rest of the way. If you need help, I might find some time in my schedule to accommodate you.
Seven things not to do when launching a voice over career
- Don’t offer your services before you’re ready.
- Don’t offer your services until you have a voice-over demonstration.
- Don’t pretend that you can be self-sufficient. In this race, you will need criticism, your voice coach will provide that information.
- Don’t create your voice over website without a professionally produced demo.
- Don’t set too high expectations that you’re going to be famous and successful in a few months just because your friends tell you that you sound great.
- Don’t stop practicing, even when you think you’re ready, that’s when you need more practice. Trust me on this.
- Don’t trust yourself. The steps I gave you will put you on the path to a great career, but you still need a lot of training and guidance.
Stay focused on your goals
Last but not least, remember that your dreams belong to you and no one else. If you dream of being a professional broadcaster, you probably have what it takes to become one, just put in enough effort and the results will show.
There are also great rewards; some talented voice-overs such as those who do the voices of The Simpsons have million-dollar contracts. Just think about how much money the guy who voiced the Hulk in the last movie made or those voice acting talents who do video game character voices.