Before embarking on a new life path, we often think about it. Let’s imagine a voice over job. Everyone has a voice. Most people just want to be heard. Most of them are also afraid to be seen. If they think about it, many people may be interested in voice over work.
Does the idea of using your voice to make money and get noticed appeal to you? It’s usually as fun as it sounds because it reminds us of things we loved to do when we were kids. (Works sometimes too.)
After I quit psychotherapy in private practice, I started doing voiceover work on Fiverr.com. When I record video lessons at home, I want to improve the sound. Instead of spending $15,000 to improve my voiceover skills, I went freelance, learned voiceover work, made $7,000, and went on a big adventure.
I’ve voiced newscasters, presidents, generals, soldiers, aliens, and many video game characters. Now I’m making my own video lessons, using what I’ve learned from being the voice of other people’s posts.
As a freelancer, recording is an easy skill because our voice is the “wind instrument” we practice every day, unlike the oboe. You can start with all the mics and skills you find at home, then work your way up. It’s easier to learn when you’re doing the work because the concepts are more relevant to what you’re doing now.
The millions of people who freelance on Fiverr learn as they work (whatever skills they want to perfect). Dubbing can be as simple as reading an announcement or as infinite as the world of dubbing. For those who are part artist and part shy, dub lets introverts perform while hidden.
Einstein used his famous “thanks experiments” or “thought experiments” to explore bold new ideas, and since I like to drop his name, let’s use a thought experiment to imagine how you might think about doing speech in the first place. We’re just thinking out loud here. This is just a pre-test; don’t adjust your mindset. We’re just “preparing” for voice work.
Can you imagine using your voice as a tool? Do you enjoy reading stories to others? Have you ever had a tantalizing encounter with the power of a microphone to amplify and change your voice to experience how you feel? Even though you generally avoid attention, are some parts of you at the very least eager to be heard, maybe even shown?
How to imagine an “audio show” and/or hire your voice to announce.
1. Listen with renewed attention to TV voiceovers and radio (all voiceovers, all the time) (all voiceovers, all the time). Can you imagine doing these parts? Repeat one or two lines every now and then. how do you feel?
2. Find announcers similar to yours and study how they ‘use their instruments’.
3. Imagine you are the voice of another character. What role appeals to you?
4. Experiment by reading a short play, poem, or story that can bring one or more characters to life. Does this bring you back to life? Observe your enthusiasm.
5. Record yourself “announcing” different messages and dare to listen repeatedly.
6. Find your natural voice. The broadcast style has evolved from pompous splendor to a more “real” sound. Unusual or seemingly imperfect sounds sometimes take advantage of their uniqueness.
7. Discover your not-so-natural voice! Play the voices of different characters. Record, listen and pay attention to what you notice. Keep checking for signs of excitement. Come back from your imagination when you’re ready.
If voiceover work still or increasingly appeals to you, it might be worth a look. There are many places for online freelancers. You can explore Fiverr or search for “freelancer” and “voiceover” to explore further. The freelance skills you develop on Fiverr can later be used to compete for high-paying online voice jobs and other projects.
If this imaginary “test drive” appeals to you – pay attention to the voice it speaks, because we all have an internal voiceover commentary! Another important discovery to watch. Everything starts with imagination. You can now choose to leave your voiceover work there, or you can start imagining some of your future audio adventures.
