How much acting skill is required for voiceover? What does it mean to change the "read" of copy?

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As a voiceover coach, I get a lot of people asking me questions about how voiceover works and how to get into the industry.

Two of the most common misperceptions I find people have about voiceover are that you need a special voice (actually, average voices with very little accent get a ton of work) and that acting skills are more important than speaking experience.

Here's a great example of using acting skills in getting different "reads" of some short copy for a political ad (advertisement precedes video):

Why voiceover is the ultimate home-based business: It pays well, takes very little time, is inexpensive to start and helps you promote all your projects!

I've put together some great tips to get you started! And don't miss the fantastic spoof video at the end. You're guaranteed to recognize the voices of these guys ...

Click the subheadings to go to a synopsis of the articles, and links to the articles themselves. (Many of the articles are from my friend and fantastic voiceover coach Susan Berkley.)


Five Hidden Voiceover Success Secrets
    #1 Bare Minimum Equipment Needed to Audition From Home.
     #2 Top 3 Ways to Go National.
     #3 Audio Books: Great For Doing Voice-Over In Your Spare Time.
     #4 The Fortune in Hidden Voiceovers: Industrials.
     #5 How Do I Expand My Clientele?

 
Top Tips For Creating a Great Demo
    #6 The best and most cost effective way to do a voice-over demo.
    #7 Five Questions to Consider Before Sending Your Demo.
    #8 Essentials For Creating An Eye-Catching Demo Package.
    #9 “Stealing” National Radio Or TV Commercial Scripts For Your Demo? 


Getting The Best Out of Your Voice
    #10 Problems Speaking Clearly?
    #11 Dry Mouth or Drool?
    #12 Can The State Of Your Spirit Affect The Sound Of Your Voice?
    #13 What To Do With Those Strange Little Voices.


Becoming A Pro
    #14 Are There Possible Legal Ramifications From Doing Impersonations Of Famous People?"
    #15 The Ethics of Turning Down Work.
    #16 Tips for Smoother Q&As.


Voice Exercises: A Baker's Dozen to Build Your Skill

1. Red leather yellow leather
   
2. Aluminum linoleum
3. ta-tucka
4. Knapsack straps
5. Toy boat
6. Greek grapes
7. Three free throws
8. Flash message
9. Sixish tatucka
10. Mrs. Smith's Fish Sauce Shop
11. Moose noshing much mush
12. Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
13. The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick

Just For Fun
You can practice the following voice exercise if you want, but I don't recommend saying it where anyone can hear you! Repeat rapidly, and watch out for spoonerisms:

I am a mother pheasant plucker:
I pluck mother pheasants.
I am the most pleasant mother pheasant plucker,
to ever pluck a mother pheasant.

Play The "Can You Guess the Accent?" Game

Okay, and yes, here are the Kings of the voiceover industry in a fun spoof video, followed by the life of Don LaFontaine. (Want to know who the faces behind famous animated characters are? Check this out.) A number of these are the voices commonly known as "The Voice Of God," and this type of voice represents only a tiny fragment of the industry. You don't need a voice like that, trust me! 99% of the work is not for this kind of voice. Think of animation, audio books and gentle voiceovers, to mention just a few that use other styles of voice primarily.

Update: Don LaFontaine recently passed on September 1, 2008.