While often used interchangeably, there is a difference between a voice-over talent and a voice actor. It’s sort of like, “a square is always a rectangle but a rectangle isn’t always a square” – a voice actor is always a voice-over artist, but a VO artist isn’t always a voice actor.
For example, you can build a successful voice-over career narrating medical textbooks, but you’re not really using acting skills to do that. You’re narrating, honing in on your speaking skills, optimizing your voice behind the microphone, and probably an excellent enunciator – that technical language is tricky!
Voice acting requires that you have all the skills of a voice-over artist, and then some. You work outside your natural voice, stretching your instrument to create unique voices and sounds – lots of video game creatures even require you to communicate intention without actual language!
In my opinion, the people who are the best voice actors are, well, actors. If that hasn’t been you up to this point, don’t worry. There’s no better time than the present to get started.
Here are three tips you can implement today to create more authentic characters in your voice acting work.
1. Character Art
Always start with character art. Knowing how your character looks will give you enormous insight into how they sound and move (more on that in tip two). Pay special attention to anything specific in the face or body that could affect their voice. For instance, Elizabeth Daily famously created Tommy Pickles’ signature lisp by noticing his oversized lips in the character art before her audition. This also puts you in collaboration with the rest of the team working on a project. So often these days, the voice talent records at home in isolation, without the benefit of live direction, a table read, or even meeting their scene partners. Having character art to ground your performance is a huge advantage.
2. Posture
Just because your body won’t be seen as part of the final product, doesn’t mean it should be left out of the process. Creating a character behind the mic is the same as creating one for stage or film. You may be limited in movement by the size of your recording space, but within those limitations it’s imperative that you create the character physically to portray them authentically. For more details on optimizing physicality in the booth, this article may be helpful.
3. Backstory
You may get lucky and have a fully fleshed-out character with a rich backstory included, but this isn’t always the case. Don’t despair – create a backstory for yourself. Knowing where your character comes from, what they’ve experienced, and what their motivations are brings more depth to your performance. This should include your character’s feelings for the others in a scene. Knowing – or inventing – a rich emotional interior for your character brings more dimension to your work.
Whether you’ve been creating characters since you performed in your first church musical at eight years old (that’s me) or you’re venturing into the world of acting for the first time through voice-over work, getting to metaphorically step into someone else’s shoes is one of the most enjoyable parts of our job.
Sharpening your acting skills alongside your behind-the-mic performance abilities will help you broaden your scope of work, book more interesting projects, and create a more dynamic career overall.
Break a leg!
Caroline Turner Cole is a voice-over artist, writer, yogi, and coach based in Dallas, TX. Connect via Instagram @carolinecolestories.
