There are two approaches to this quandary. Two paths that eventually lead to the same destination. Path one, you get yourself a regular VO job somewhere as a complete noob. Some place where the people will teach you on the job and will basically use your voice for pretty much free. In other words your willingness to get exploited whilst you learn the craft. This is going to be painful because the “training” one is getting is on the job. Mostly done by non-trainers, who themselves are just directors or producers but not VO artists.
Because they may have got experience working with other experienced voiceover artists, they can try and get some sort of a performance out of you – the fresher. Over a period of time with regular recording you become better. The period of time would be at least 2 years and that is at least 1 hour a day of VO recording 5 to 6 days week and at the end of this road you will become a VO artist.
Path two, get trained. Yes, it may not be the obvious choice for many but let me tell you one simple truth about the voiceover business. You want to start on the right foot. You want to save time. You don’t want to waste your precious days getting morsels of insights in return for hours and hours of your life. That is exploitation.
The main advantage of voiceover training is that it cuts down on the time it takes someone to start as a professional VO artist. Plus, you know what you are doing from day one. No guess work. No exploitation BS. If you are serious about working as a professional VO artist voiceover training is the way to go.
Now know this; not all voiceover training is the same. First get the right format. The most effective way to learn voice-overs is one on one with the trainer. In a studio setting. There are no two ways about this. Training in groups or worse, online, is a major no no. Now you got the right format look around for a good trainer.
Here are some pointers to keep in mind when looking for the right trainer:
- Trainer should have at least 10 years of mainstream VO experience.
- Ask to see testimonials of past students and even talk to them if possible.
- Meet the trainer in person so that you can gauge your comfort levels with him/her.
After you are trained join online platforms like IVO so that your demos have exposure to clients looking for fresh new voices for their projects.
