5 Types of Voice-Over Jobs
For many voice actors, having a career in the voice-over industry is as exciting as it is lucrative. With several types of work out there, voice-over artists get a chance to work on various projects at once. Thus, allowing them to hone their craft and become better at it every day. If you are talented enough, you might as well get a chance to work at all different types of voice-over jobs.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most popular types of voice-over jobs that you will come across in your career.
So what are these 5 different types of voice-over work you can get into?
1. Animations and Dub-Overs
These are two of the most well-known types of voice-over work. From cartoons to live-action TV shows and dub-overs in another language, voice-over artists have long found these kinds of work by the abundance, where they bring the beloved characters to life on the small screen. Moreover, animated movies on the large screen also offer several opportunities for voice-over professionals to showcase their talent.
2. Audiobooks
The popularity of audiobooks is increasing with each passing day. Thus, resulting in a wide range of opportunities for voiceover artists as well. Each audiobook requires various voice-over professionals to play different characters in a story. However, to become successful in the audiobooks category, you need to have a clear and concise reading ability. Just like with most careers, practice makes perfect. There’s definitely a big learning curve in the beginning but once you get the hang of it, you’ll become professional in no time. Gary here can give you the pro’s and con’s of it all.
3. Commercials
Do you have that sultry, smooth and silky voice that can sell just about anything? *emphasis on the S’s*
Then you’ve probably got what it takes to do commercials. Believe it or not but most commercials have voice-over artists doing voices for actors. This is due to translation applications. In the case the commercial is played in more than one country in different languages. In addition to actors, directors also hire voice-over professionals to ensure that the product messaging is delivered appropriately to the audience. For commercials, the sky’s the limit. Not just big companies like Ford, Target or Wholefoods need professional voice-overs. Think small business, such as local ones in your neighborhood. They’d love to have someone spice up their brand with a great voice. It is imperative, however, to understand your role in such a situation. Your main goal is not to play the actor. But to get the right messaging across.
4. Virtual Assistants
Hey Siri, can you please tell me the weather condition in New York? Alexa, please play my favorite song. Yes, virtual assistants have been talking with you for years now. And they are going to continue doing it. Therefore, you can look for career opportunities in the virtual assistant segment as well. In addition to this, there are also several jobs for voice-over artists in the space of the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) segment. This is a new field that is growing ever more. Although big call service centers are exchanging humans for more AI, the human voice is still needed to present the given options: “Push 1 for customer service, or say speak to a representative.” “Speak to a representative.” “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.” *palm to forehead*
5. Educational Videos
While it might not be as exciting as that of animated characters, voice-overs for educational videos provides a ton of opportunities for you to grow and prosper in your career. There’s a number videos out there on YouTube right now. Plus every university has some sort of work that needs to be done. Training materials, university course videos, how-to videos, narration of published papers and even human resource videos, are some of several opportunities to take advantage of.
Final Thoughts
In this digital era, there is no shortage of work for the right talent in the voiceover industry. Apart from these categories, there are several other opportunities in the area of health and fitness, documentaries, and gaming. Therefore, if you have what it takes to become a successful voice-over artist, there are plenty of opportunities available out there.
