Monday, May 26, 2014

Work Doing Voice Over Commercials

By Marci Glover


There are a lot of different aspects to advertising, many of which are never considered by the general population. Ads may use stunning visuals or memorable music bits and jingles to capture their audience, but it is usually the vocals that people instantly recognize. Doing voice over commercials is a fun and interesting career choice as long as one has determination and patience.

A common misconception is that if a person sounds great when speaking naturally that they will be perfect for this type of work. Along with that appealing sound, one must also have clear speech, diction and a fair degree of acting ability. The job requires taking a script and using a talent for timing and believability to create a sincere sounding narrative.

These skills are used quite often in works such as cartoons, video games, multimedia, audio books, documentaries and movies. They are also the key factor in many advertisements and announcements heard on the internet, radio and television. The average person is exposed to one of these spots nearly a hundred times a day just following their normal routine.

Advertising of this sort is generally placed into one of three primary categories. Local is the first tier and it mainly involves spots for businesses that serve a very confined area and announcements for hometown organizations. The next step up is regional, meaning those heard in a somewhat larger zone, and at the top is the national ads such as those for major consumer brands.

Unfortunately, a large portion of the national tier advertisements are voiced by celebrities or seasoned vocal actors, mainly because their sound is recognizable to the masses. This does not mean that one should underestimate the power, influence and profitability of ads done on the regional and local levels. There is no way a handful of veteran performers can handle every job that comes along, so opportunities will present themselves in all categories.

Very few people in this field are discovered simply because they have amazing speaking abilities. There is a process to building one's talent and becoming as marketable as possible in order to gain a higher level of success. The first step is finding a competent vocal coach who can help improve techniques and give instruction on how to best to control breathing while doing a recording.

The next step is creating an audio audition by having a demo tape recorded in a professional quality studio. For best results, this should be submitted to all available advertising agencies, talent managers and production companies that operate during one's target work zone. The CD and written resume' mailing needs to be followed by phone calls to make sure that they are not easily overlooked.

One way to build a successful career is to be patient, yet persistent. Naturally, the national level jobs are the most desired but it can take time to become seasoned enough to land one of those positions. Taking on a number of local and regional spots to gain experience, hone one's craft and create a work history that shows versatility can be a valuable advantage when deciding to join the more competitive market at the top tier.




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