Work in voice-over, which involves hearing narrative or character voices of unseen talent, is multi-faceted. Voice-over talent is used for narrations, commercials, animated characters, industrial training, public service announcements and much more. You need to receive training, build a resume, and have a talent agent to work as a professional voice-over talent. Lainie Frasier, Voice Works (Austin,TX) provides excellent, in-studio training for voice-over work. She provides training, guidance with resumes, and demo cds. Peter Blackwell of Sound Mine (Austin, TX), also engineers demo cds.
You can gain experience and build your resume by volunteering to read for the blind on the Austin Information Station or work with Reading Resource in Dallas. Voice-over jobs are posted online in casting notices or voice-over groups. See Scompa, Voice Acting Alliance, or Edge Studio. From time to time, I post voice-over jobs on Cru Film '11 on Facebook.
Lainie Frasier and I have written a book together on the art and business of voice-over work. Mc Graw-Hill has published our guide, Speak Skillfully and Successfully: A Guide to Developing Diction and Voice-Over Excellence. I use our text in my university course, Voice and Diction. Lainie uses our book in her Voice Works classes. This book can be purchased online or through bookstores. Chapters in the text concern caring for the voice, speaking Standard Amercian English, producing vocal impact, building character voices, developing captivating narrative voices, using technical equipment skillfully, developing a career in voice-over work, reducing natural dialects, and performing foreign accents. Besides teaching voice and diction skills, I also enjoy coaching foreign speakers to reduce their dialects in the business and entertainment worlds. I also like assisting actors to develop dialects from around the world.
For further information, contact me, Dr. Diane Howard, at UMHB or visit my Web site at http://www.dianehoward.com.
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