As voice actors, we’ve all tried them. I did. Like others, I was testing my boundaries. And when we played it back to ourselves, we learned to recognize when to say: “Nope!” Instead of “Nailed it!” (At least most of us.)
I’m talking about attempting voice styles that are far and away from our natural speaking voice. Why do some of us do this?? Because voice actors want to show off a range of styles to make themselves more marketable; an attempt to demonstrate versatility in their talent.
What does this mean for content creators that want to cast the perfect voice for their project? Well, if someone is trying out an audition and they have to try extra hard to get close to that unique or extreme voice you are looking for, you’re gonna notice. But by then you’ve invested time in listening to more audio files than you need to. Save yourself time by taking care to avoid this on the front end of the casting call. Be as descriptive as you can about the qualities you need. The more extreme voice style you ask for, the more this becomes necessary so you might as well nip your troubles in the bud. Another measure is to ask for additional reels or audio files with a similar delivery you’re looking for.
If you have a voice over project that asks for a read that is on the more extreme side in pitch, volume, etc. Be prepared ahead of time. Here are just a few examples that can be risky:
- The Radio Announcer: You’ve heard this style before, the bombastic: “SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!” or, “Hey now! Comin’atcha live on this Wacky Wednesday, PEW! PEW! PEW!” Ugh. For some reason, there are people still insisting they can deliver it when it’s not part of their natural ability. Many voice actors are quite talented but simply don’t have the vocal strength and stamina to pull off something like this. Even with training.
- The Voice of God: Plain and simple, if they don’t got the pipes, they shouldn’t try it. So many people think they can belt out: “THIS, IS CNN!” Janes Earl Jones they are not. James Earl Jones I am not! You’ll spot that one a mile away.
- The “Sam Elliott”: Deep and gruff is not for the faint of heart. This is best left for guys named Duke or Chuck, who smoke unfiltered cigarettes they rolled themselves, and can eat bacon daily yet they’re fit as a fiddle. But seriously, there are VO techniques to achieve this voice, but they’re not always employed. When it goes afoul in the audition, it will remind you of those tryouts on American Idol when the guy thinks he can sound like Joe Cocker.
- The Pollyanna: Ah, the voice that sounds bubbly, cheery, and upbeat and so adorable where everything sounds right as rain. Hard to pull off if you sound like you smoke 2 packs of Marlboro 100’s every day.
- The Tech Fluent voice: Pronouncing and articulating technical jargon are two different things. It won’t serve you one bit of good if the person who is auditioning can pronounce “lingual leukoplakia” but sound like they have a case of that going on in their mouth.
As a content creator, your time is valuable. Voice actors are great to work with but for the next extreme voice you’re looking for, be proactive on the front end early so you can narrow down the list of candidates, and save yourself a lot of trouble.