Sunday, May 25, 2014

Work Doing Voice Over Commercials

By Marci Glover


Advertising entails many aspects that are never considered by the majority of the audience. People's attention may be easily captured by great visuals and catchy jingles but it is often the speaking parts that sticks with them. Working in voice over commercials is an exciting career choice, though it is one that requires one to utilize both persistence and patience.

Contrary to a popular belief, it takes more than just sounding good when speaking in normal circumstances to make it in this business. In addition to appealing conversational tones, one must enunciate clearly and possess a certain amount of acting capabilities. The bulk of the job is reading a script in such a way that it comes out sounding flawlessly natural with all the necessary emotions.

This vocal talent is very commonly used in projects like documentaries, movies, animations, audio books, multimedia and video games. Radio, television and internet ads are perhaps the more frequently heard pieces in this field. Realistically, they are played so often that a majority of the audience has no idea exactly how much they are exposed to this type of advertisement throughout their day.

Advertising of this sort is basically broken down into three main categories. On the first tier are those ads that reach a very localized audience such as civic events and area car dealerships. The second level consists of those covering a regional zone and the third are the ones, often by well known organizations or brands, that are broadcast nationally.

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.

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 taking what has been learned and using it to have a demo tape professionally produced to serve as an audio audition. Copies should be sent to multiple advertising agencies, talent brokers and production companies within one's target working area. As with most job applications, following up on a mailed resume' with a phone call or two may be necessary.

Building success in this field requires one to exercise patience with a fair amount of persistence. Though many of the ads on the national level are reserved for seasoned performers and celebrities, there are still plenty of opportunities available. Working at either the local or regional tiers can be a great way for the novice to gain valuable experience while learning the tricks of the trade, and could become quite lucrative as skills are honed.




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