I am a full time professional Voice over actor 20 years with ten years of part time before that.
Having a good, deep voice is like inheriting a Stradivarius violin. Learning to play the instrument is still the hardest part.
Read things outloud, record it, listen back. Compare to what you hear on TV/radio. Learn what makes a good v/o good and a bd v/o bad. Learn why some of the inflections on words differ from the way you normally say something. Do this every day. After a while it will start to make sense. When I was at school I read a page from the broadsheet newspaper out loud every day (ads and all) and listened back to it critically.
Learn to read several words ahead on the page. Your brain assimilates the words better that way and you will find it rolls off the tongue easier.
Learn spelling and grammar. You need to know exactly what the writer meant to say and the context in which the director needs it to be said.
If you are serious, GET VOICE TRAINING. Like any form of acting there are technical bits you must know. Either you learn this by trial and error over 10 years like I did before I started to get regular work, or you can have a professional give you the heads up on things like being directed in a pressure situation, intonation, energy levels, proper breathing techniques, and getting a 29 second script into exactly 29 seconds (30 second TV Audio tracks run to 29 secs to give 0.5 secs silence at beginning and end. No exceptions).
Just a few of the many facets to learn but it's rewarding work after you start getting enough of it.
jonfromsydney2 karma
I am a full time professional Voice over actor 20 years with ten years of part time before that.
Having a good, deep voice is like inheriting a Stradivarius violin. Learning to play the instrument is still the hardest part.
Read things outloud, record it, listen back. Compare to what you hear on TV/radio. Learn what makes a good v/o good and a bd v/o bad. Learn why some of the inflections on words differ from the way you normally say something. Do this every day. After a while it will start to make sense. When I was at school I read a page from the broadsheet newspaper out loud every day (ads and all) and listened back to it critically.
Learn to read several words ahead on the page. Your brain assimilates the words better that way and you will find it rolls off the tongue easier.
Learn spelling and grammar. You need to know exactly what the writer meant to say and the context in which the director needs it to be said.
If you are serious, GET VOICE TRAINING. Like any form of acting there are technical bits you must know. Either you learn this by trial and error over 10 years like I did before I started to get regular work, or you can have a professional give you the heads up on things like being directed in a pressure situation, intonation, energy levels, proper breathing techniques, and getting a 29 second script into exactly 29 seconds (30 second TV Audio tracks run to 29 secs to give 0.5 secs silence at beginning and end. No exceptions).
Just a few of the many facets to learn but it's rewarding work after you start getting enough of it.
Good luck!
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