Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Work Doing Voice Over Commercials

By Marci Glover


There are many aspects to advertising which most people never take into consideration. The audience may be drawn in by the visuals and catchy tunes but one of the most memorable parts of any ad is the vocals. Doing work on voice over commercials is a great opportunity though it takes patience and persistence to become truly lucrative.

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.

It is quite common for celebrities to fill the majority of national level spots, mainly because their voices are easily identified by the general public. There are literally thousands of jobs available in each of the three categories. One should never diminish the benefits of performing at the regional and local levels as those ads are more frequent and offer a lot of versatility.

Simply having an appealing sound is rarely enough to take one instantly to the top of the field. This is a talent that needs to be honed through a process designed to increase one's marketability and make it easier to gain the desired success. The journey begins by pairing with a vocal coach that can help improve both acting and speaking skills, honing individual techniques for optimum results.

Step two is to create a professionally recorded quality demo tape to submit as part of one's resume'. It should be sent to as many production companies, talent brokers and advertising agencies as are in the desired work area. After mailing out the CD packages, it is important to follow up with phone calls, just as one would do with any other job application.

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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment