Like families across America, every February we go all out having our neighbors over to watch the Super Bowl. Perhaps it’s because I’m from Philly, and, well, you know what they say about Philly fans. We have pizza and wings and every snack you can think of. I make tons of hot appetizers and keep them coming through out the game. We have an assortment of beers. I also always make fish and neighbors bring a variety of salads. Every one knows though, that the game is just part of it. The half time show is just part of it. The commercials often leave everyone on the edge of their seats. Some are profoundly touching. Some are hilarious. Some are controversial. We all sit their, huddled together, on the edge of our seats, never bored. The voiceover, the voice under what flashes on the screen, is sure to dazzle on such an epic night. But whether it is Super Bowl Sunday or any given Tuesday, a voiceover actor, and there are a lot of us, is always an actor and never just a voiceover person, and the voiceactor’s ability to assume a role as apposed to just reading a script can make all the difference in those spots that we love.
Voiceover for Character Work
When I started my journey as a professional voiceover actress, I dreamt of playing a Disney princess. Who doesn’t right? After all, if I can sing like the Little Mermaid and sound full of hope one moment and like i’m in the depths of despair the next, clearly I have chosen the right career path. But even when Disney does not immediately come knocking at your door, there are ample opportunities for character work in voiceover where the work itself pre-determines the role that you play. From candy princesses to mermaids in kids’ apps to cat toys, I have voiced them all. Whether in an app, an animation, a video game, or dubbing, when doing character work a voiceover actor does not have to figure out who they are. The script tells us. Other sorts of script analysis are of course required, but at least we know who we are and what our relationship is to the other roles around us.
The Voice in the Commercial
Since the inception of my career commercial work has been my bread and butter and determining your character, or who you are in a commercial, is not always so simple. Sometimes you are actually cast as a specific role, like the voice of the hip mom or the distressed wife, but often you have to read the script and make a choice about who you are playing. Recently, I have been what is often described as “the voice of G-d” in a series of tv commercials for a hospital. These spots needed to sound heartfelt and connected. I’ve also played the casino party girl, and I it was my call to sound like the super fun party girl that anyone would want next to them at the black jack table. That is why we are called voiceover actors, because even in a commercial there is always a role to be played.
The Role of the Narrator
A lot of voiceover work falls under the category of Narration. As a former teacher, I particularly delight in doing eLearning projects. But, whether I am narrating eLearning, industrials, or telephony, I am still playing a role. I am never simply reading a script. I may be Susie in HR. Or I may be Julie, the tech savvy girl sitting next to you at the conference table. Or I may be Emma, the head chef at Whole Foods Market. I always have to know exactly what role I am playing and why I am saying what I’m saying. Often in narration this is not clear from what the client gives me. Instead, this comes from self direction, from a creative choice that I make. Again, this is what makes the difference between being a voiceover actor and someone who just reads into a microphone.
Voiceover Actor vs. Voiceover Talent
So why are some people in my field called voice actors, some called voiceover actors, some called voice talents, and some called voiceover talents? Put simply it’s a matter of personal preference. They all mean the same thing and imply the very same career. Some people would say that they are a voice talent because they also do on-camera work and public speaking or live announce. Well that’s great! But some people prefer that title and they do not do either. So, any professional who assumes one of these titles, is implying that they spend their days acting, pouring their creative juices, heart, and soul into your script to bring it alive and make it sound its best. In the words of Marc Hammill, “You’re able to make broad choices that you would never make if you were on camera.”
Last year I made the bold and previously unprecedented move to fly to Atlanta for the annual ATD conference. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. Anyone attending, literally anyone, was a potential client for me. Besides the enormous marketing potential that the conference venue gave me, I knew that I would also have an opportunity to learn so much about an industry that I already was extremely passionate about. I arrived at the Atlanta Conference center via shuttle on the first day of the expo and as I descended down what seemed to be endless levels of escalators to reach the expo level, my enthusiasm and anticipation grew. With my bag of information about my professional voiceover business and swag for potential clients in tow, I was ready. On the way down, I stopped to get a bottle of water. I began chatting with a women who was also attending for the first time. She was also stopping to get a bottle of water. Over our shared thirst, both for eLearning and for water, we realized we had so much in common. As it turned out, my warm, professional sound was exactly what her company needed for their training modules and my water buddy has become a longtime client. Put simply, I am the solution that they need- the comforting, warm, relatable professional voice for an elearning narrator who is pleasant to listen to AND delivers my finished audio promptly.
In a business that’s feast or famine, what happens during a dry patch?
It all began last June 2017, one scorching hot day in Las Vegas. I stepped off a flight from San Diego, it was over 120 degrees in Vegas, and before going to the WOVO conference (professional organization of voiceover talent), I had to go record three commercials that I had booked at Adrenaline Studios. I have never spent much time off the strip and despite the oppressive heat I was really excited to see some more of Las Vegas.
In my previous life as a History teacher, one of my student’s mom’s wrote a book called I Don’t Know How She Does It. This is the story of the modern women, trying to balance it all: work, home life, friends- and do it all well. That’s the thing for me, I’ve blogged before about being a perfectionist, and there is not an on/off switch for that either. When that book came out, I was a newly wed with a young husband and a puppy. I myself had boundless energy. Now, as a full time professional voiceover talent, a working mom, a wife- I now find myself trying to do it all. Momtrepreneur seems to some it all up. I am so proud of both the family that I have built and of the business that I have built, but how can one be both so proud and so tired at once? Work. Kids. Cooking. Laundry. So many countless tasks. Every. Single. Day. The words that come to mind: coffee, please?
With all the hats I wear, a healthy sense of humor helps a lot. I couldn’t do my job as a professional voice talent if I couldn’t laugh at myself, and I think it is fair to say the same for motherhood too. Late last night, sometime between 2 am and 5:30, I went to the bathroom, as many of us post c-section moms need to do. Last night, however, I glanced in the mirror. My hair made flock of seagulls look tame. My pjs were a mess. Even though I had been sleeping I looked exhausted and drained. It made me think if a silly statue/sculpture my mom had on her night table when I was growing up. My dad had gotten it for her and it had a beleaguered mom with the caption, “Insanity is inherited, you get it from your kids.”
