You’ll Need a Good Voice Actor! If Your Wanting To Build Your Image…
August 11, 2008
What do prospective customers think about your company?
How do you do this when you company is doing cartoons, animation, computer games and CGI, etc… the first after creating the visual element is have great Cartoon Voice Over Talent ready to provide the right sound first (impression) image!
Usually, the first impression that they receive of your organization is via advertisement or your telephone system when they call in. Either way, potential customers are likely ‘hear’ from you first and base their impression of your business upon that first sound bite.
One way to ensure that a positive impact is made upon customers is to have a dynamite voice-over recorded by a pro who knows how.
Their voice type and interpretation of your script will yield dividends beyond all telling for your reputation and presence.
Most of life revolves around perception, that is, what you believe to be true. If your voice-over is persuasive and relatable, listeners will assume that your company is everything that your voice-over exudes.
A powerhouse voice-over will positively brand your company image by exuding the following qualities:
Confidence
Persuasion
Leadership
Accountability
Passion
Knowledge
Authority
Authenticity
What’s in a name? Plenty. What’s in a voice? EVERYTHING!
Let the true voice of your company shine through and go for the gusto with the right voice actor for your job.
Have a great Monday,
Stephanie
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Tell Your Stories With Voice Overs!
August 8, 2008
When producing a presentation, cartoons, animation video, web video, podcast, or webisode, one of the most important aspects of the production is found in the copy writing and voice over.
That being said, what kind of voice over would be best suited for your project?
Find out at Casting Voices!
People have been telling stories since the dawn of time, drawing upon their voice to convey their messages to others in their circle of influence.
Over the centuries, the art of communicating with other people about a given purpose and the transmission of the spoken word, the most powerful, persuasive, and distinctly human tool in any marketers arsenal, has evolved to the degree that you don’t have to be in the same room to get a message across, even the same country for that matter.
Geographic locations and time zones afford little to no obstacle for communicating with others in a meaningful and cohesive way.
With all of the advantages this new world and new media bestows, it is very important that a message received is a message that is understood, believed and acted upon.
Much of this depends on the copy writing and voice over skills of the messengers, which brings us to five different characters if you will that will help you get your message across in a direct and effective way.
When producing a presentation, cartoons, animation video, web video, podcast, or webisode:
1. Instructor (formal, didactic voice over)
2. Real Person (informal voice over)
3. Spokesperson (advocate, authoritative voice over)
4. Narrator (omniscient storyteller)
5. Announcer (sets the stage and calls for action)
Let’s explore these types of character roles in detail.
1. Instructor
When teaching someone on what to do, for example, a corporate training video or children’s game, the voice over best suited for this kind of project is a straightforward, didactic and educated voice. The role of this particular voice talent is to instruct or provide information to fulfill a specific goal or purpose.
2. Real Person
Projects requiring a more casual approach often benefit from relatable, genuine voice overs. These voice overs are referred to as “Real Person” voice overs, commonly known as the “regular guy” or the “girl next door”. The character is homegrown, sensible, and friendly with a touch of familiarity and provides a more intimate interpretation that instills trust.
3. Spokesperson
A spokesperson can be on camera or off camera depending on the medium you are using. The role of a spokesperson is generally played by a confident, charismatic person able to promote a cause, product, or service with ease and authority. A voice over of this nature needs to be driven, optimistic and assured.
4. Narrator
Storytelling is where the narrator is most at home. Omniscient, courteous and honest, a narrator’s job is to provide an audio landscape for a listener, briefing them on background information, posing questions, and providing solutions as they guide their audience through a program or documentary. Narrators can be male or female, and the most important factors are that they can communicate clearly and engagingly.
5. Announcer
The announcer, often heard live at events, on commercials, promos or introducing segments for podcasts, is a product of the broadcast age, most celebrated at its height in the Golden Era of Radio and early television broadcasts. Announcers can introduce an idea and assertively make a call for action at the conclusion of a commercial advertisement or short video. One common misconception is that an announcer has to sound like an announcer from decades ago, however modern announcers act more like narrators, and in many cases, adopt the Real Person approach.
Now that you’ve met the different kinds of people or characters that can help to make your production a success, the next question is where do you find voice talents?
If you are reading this article, you are already on your way to locating a voice talent to record for your project.
Using the Internet to find a voice will streamline all of your efforts, saving you a significant amount of time and financial expense.
Over 50,000 people have discovered just how easy it is to find the perfect voice for their project at Voices.com, the voice marketplace.
At Voices.com, you can search for, listen to and hire professional voice talents to record your voice over within your budget range. Posting a job to find the appropriate candidate to record for your project is not only convenient, it is also a desirable option, providing you with the opportunity to choose the voice that will best represent your company and deliver on your vision.
The professionals at Voices.com can take your script from concept to completion and quickly become an integral part of your creative production team. Breathing life into the written word is what they do for a living, so you can rest assured that your project is in a good hands with a Voices.com voice talent.
To learn more about Voices.com or search for voices, visit http://www.voices.com
Looking forward to serving you,
Stephanie
“Dubbing” Cartoon Voices
August 7, 2008
Picture this. You’re sitting down in front of your television and are watching a foreign film. The actors are obviously speaking a different language, but the audio (or the words that you hear) is in your own language. The film that you’re watching has been dubbed by voice actors that speak your native language, in an effort to help you enjoy the film without having to read subtitles. The original audio is removed and replaced with dubbing.
Dubbing for film is just one facet of the market which includes television shows, cartoons, documentaries, and so on.
India is one such country that has taken dubbing to the next level, and it is becoming somewhat of a national pastime.
Business is starting to boom in India, and so is the market for dubbing films and other media from North America. As it turns out, it is also becoming a lucrative way for people to moonlight while still maintaining their day jobs, often making exponentially more money as a voice talent dubbing than they do at their primary place of work while also getting creative satisfaction from their dubbing work.
Nearly everyone in India is dubbing, from house-wives to teachers to doctors, who dub voice-overs at recording studios after work.
Rahul Bhatia, GM, UTV, who heads the company’s dubbing division, says, “The voice-over business in India, estimated at Rs 15 crore, is growing steadily at 10-15%. There is therefore a constant demand for fresh voices.”
One such voice talent is Suchitra Gupta, a college lecturer. She makes almost Rs 25,000 per month from dubbing, an activity which she says is more of a passion than work. Bhatia says while beginners get paid around Rs 500 to Rs 600 per paragraph per episode, established dubbing artists can earn anything between Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per episode for an hour’s dubbing for the main character.
The pay is good, tempting even, but there are still standards to be met. Not everyone is a dubbing phenom. Pronunciation is key as well as the tone of voice and voice acting abilities.
According to Leela Roy Ghosh of Sound & Vision, which dubs a number of Hollywood movies into Hindi and other regional languages, “Dubbing, like music, is an art, which has to be nurtured. Since there are no training institutes, most people tend to learn on the job and they have to learn fast, as there’s little or no room for mistakes.
A dubbing talent relates, “Like in any creative area, mediocrity has no place here. Unless you are consistently good, you won’t survive for long.”
Clients also insist on need for dubbing quality. Joy Bhattacharya, senior VP (Programming) of National Geographic Channel, says, “We insist on 100% factual and language accuracy in all our programmes. Our in-house teams supervise and guide dubbing vendor constantly.”
Cheers,
Stephanie
Finding the Perfect Voice for My Client’s Job
August 6, 2008
I used Voices.com to search through several talents’ demo’s, to find the right one for the job. I used the “search female talent” for this specific job. Since it was a very confidential job, I contacted the talent directly, and then posted the job privately. I ended up hiring Janice Downes for this particular project.
I was looking for a female talent that had that friendly / crystal clear voice that could add to the product. I found the talent in less then 10 minutes, got in contact the same day, and sent the script the next day. So far, I haven’t been able to pay via SurePay, it wouldn’t let me; however I call and speak with Carol Mroz, the Billing Manager, and make my deposits that way. I had a 2 day deadline which I was able to successfully meet thanks to Voices.com and Janice Downes.
I will definitely keep on using Voices.com and would recommend it to anyone that is in need of professional voice talent. So far, all the talents have been very fast responsive and delivered excellent quality recordings.
Steamboat Willie and Beyond!
July 14, 2008
Cartoon Voices Have Character
When you think of a cartoon voice over, one of the very first things you’ll note is that cartoon voices belong to cartoon characters, and at the root of that is character which requires acting.
Steamboat Willie Makes Voice Over History
The very first cartoon voice over was featured in a cartoon movie by Disney called “Steamboat Willie” in 1928 at the Colonial Theatre in New York. It was the first time the world heard the voice of Mickey Mouse as provided by Walt Disney himself and was a great breakthrough in technology and entertainment.
Nowadays there are literally thousands of cartoons, especially in the realm of children’s programming, that require the voice talents of voice over professionals.
Oh, Saturday Mornings!
Think back to Saturday morning cartoons and the joy they brought you when growing up. Those same cartoons, and many of the same voice talent you’ve heard over the decades, are still at work on new projects and can also be enjoyed via reruns and releases on DVD.
Feeling Nostalgic?
Some of these cartoons are even making it to the silver screen, including last summer’s Transformers. Some of the original voice cast, including Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, returned to reprise their roles more than 20 years later to the delight of their now grown up fans.
The Smurfs, another 1980s favorite, may even be made into a movie with plans for release in 2010. Look out, world!
What are your favorite cartoon character voices?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Stephanie
How To Hire a Voice Talent for a Cartoon
June 30, 2008
1. Browsing the Website
We’ve made it easy for you to locate voice actors who provide voice overs for cartoons, animation and voices for other characters. There are two ways you can go about finding a voice talent, and you can do so directly from our home page.
You’ll notice the tabs in the navigation bar called “Female Voice Talent” and “Male Voice Talent“. Depending on the gender of voice talent you’re looking for, click on the appropriate tab to see a number of professionals available at this website.
Alternatively, you can also search by keyword. Just as you would do a keyword search at Google or Yahoo!, you can type in words that describe what you are looking for in a voice by using the website search box. Try typing in a keyword, language, gender or location to view matching voice talent.
You can find the search bar at the top of every page on this website.
2. Listen to Audio Samples
Start the hiring process by listening to professional voice over talents. Each voice talent has a profile where you can learn about their experience, areas of expertise, special skills and services offered. You can also listen to a sample of their voice by playing their voice-over demo.
When playing the voice-over demos, listen for:
- Clarity
- Pacing
- Production Value
- Overall Quality
3. Contact a Voice Talent
Once you’ve found a voice talent that you’re interested in working with, contact them by sending them an email and remember to include some specifics so that the voice talent can reply with a quote and turn around time for your project.
Be sure to mention:
- Script (can you send a sample of the script?)
- Length (what’s the page count or word count of your script?)
- Artistic Direction (what style of performance do you want?)
- Deadline (when do you need the recording done by?)
- Budget (how much can you invest in this voice over recording?)
4. Send Payment & Download Your Files
What happens next? When a voice talent receives your email, they will reply to you with a final quote for the project. Some voice talent may request a 50% deposit by PayPal while others may use the industry’s escrow service called SurePay.
Once your deposit is made, the voice talent will record your script in their professional recording studio. When the work has been completed the voice talent will send you instructions on how to download your finished audio files.
5. Congratulations, You’re Done!
You’ve successfully hired a professional voice over talent and experienced working with some of the best voice talent in the world.
If you need help at anytime, you can contact us toll-free at 1-888-359-3472.
Find Professional Voice Talent for Cartoons and Animation
June 25, 2008
Thank you for visiting Cartoon Voice Talent, the website where cartoon and character voice talent showcase their versatility and vocal acrobatics for hire on the web.
Voice talent found at Cartoon Voice Talent have a burning passion to create and energize characters ranging from stereotypical archetypes to newly minted character voices skillfully designed with your storyboard and needs in mind. By listening to the voice samples, you’ll discover possibilities for your characters that you’ve only dreamed of, and the great news is that these experienced cartoon voice talent are ready to put decades of vocal innovation to work for you.
At Cartoon Voice Talent, we serve people involved with the casting of voices, creative directors, agents and talent scouts. This site is ideal for finding unique voice samples for television cartoons, animated films, and animated programming for the web and wireless devices.
Use this website to locate the voice talent for your project by:
- Searching
- Listening to audio samples
- Contacting the voice talent directly for a quote
