Have you ever watched a movie without sound? There is something so profound about sound, yet it is the most unrecognized in the industry of performance. Not only does the music set the mood, captivate you and keep your attention, but the dialogue or the voiceover tells you the story. To many we as voice talent are considered the story teller no matter what the genre, but we do more than tell a story.

Actors are being replaced visually all the time by the advent of 3D graphics/technology, but the one thing they can’t seem to master is the human voice which will keep the voice talent employed. It would be great to say that anyone can be a voice talent, but this just isn’t the case. If you’ve ever had your secretary voice your phone system, your family or your friends, you might have some idea of what I’m talking about. It takes a true professional to bring your business message to life. Not only do they tell the story, but they help you feel the feelings involved in the project. Whether you’re voicing commercials, narration or otherwise it is the human emotion that draws you in, not the voice itself. Of course there are exceptions to the rule like the famous Leons commercial or those wonderful car lot commercials yelling at you to buy a car. Many of the poor ads and narratives that are out there are voiced either by an amateur or even worse in most cases, the clients themselves. This is the old school format of broadcasting and is becoming a dying breed. The new trends of today are a more significant acted delivery using top professionals that will result in a much more believable performance and really helps to bring your project to life and get the return you are looking for.

The one thing highly neglected when it comes to your professional projects, (commercials, narrations, industrials, websites, voice mail and more) is that you spend all this time and money on hiring the right crew to build or write your project and create amazing graphics, but to save money you use a non-professional to do what we take years to learn. You might as well throw all of it out the window at that point. Just as you need to save a good budget to market your project, you need to keep a good budget to hire just the right voice.

In today’s time its’ much easier with sites like www.commercialvoices.com where they have the talent right there waiting for you, each with their own studio providing you same day service in most cases. Post your job, get a ton of auditions to choose from, hire your talent, direct them on the phone or in person if you’d like, they edit it down to the final file (in most cases, saving you a ton of money in studio edits – although talent should really be paid for this time too) submit your file to you in person or via the world wide web and you have it instantly. Now that’s talent.

Voice talent will enhance your project, convince others they must have it or follow the information and most importantly bring identity and familiarity to a client. With the trillions of websites out there, it’s only a matter of time before each one has their own voice over mascot. A friendly and approachable visual and audio complimentary of each other that puts familiarity and security to your company. Yes, controversy sells, this is why spots like Leons with the Swedish voice talent that everyone seems to hate work, however make sure you’re using a professional, like the Leons guy. Not everyone can pull this off, so it’s important you go to the professionals. Think of it this way, would you want your secretary to plumb your house, drywall or even perform brain surgery on you without training? No, this isn’t brain surgery, but the point is there is a reason there are professionals in this trade. They are worth every penny and then some. Hire a voice talent for your next project and see the difference for yourself. After all the goal for all of us is to enjoy life and make more money and voice talent will help you do just that!

All my best
Debbie Munro
Voice Talent/Host/Actor/Producer/Coach
My Voice, Your Way!
www.debsvoice.com
info@debsvoice.com
604-939-7029