Being A Voice Over Talent
Many are unfamiliar with the world of voice-overs. There are so many things in Hollywood that require voice-overs. Here’s a quick quiz. Who is one of the biggest voice over artists in both volume and pay? Ever heard of Dan? If the name doesn’t sound familiar to you, how about his most famous character. Dan’s character is on the long-running cartoon currently on TV. Still not sure? Here is your last clue, his character on the show has the signature line, “D’oh”! For all those who still can’t guess, it’s Homer Simpson. Not only does Dan play Homer Simpson, he also plays the voice of Grandpa Simpson, Krusty The Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby and more. If you’re a fan of the show, you would never know that this one talented person plays so many different and unique voices.
Dan is walking proof that voice-overs are an amazing talent, and is very needed in Hollywood. Dan currently makes $400,000 per Simpson’s episode, making him one of the highest-paid voice-over actors ever. Since the show has been going on for 26 years, it’s made for a pretty good payday for Dan. All the other main characters that play the family members that makes up the Simpsons, take-home pretty much the same paycheck as well, per episode. This example goes to show; there is a lot of money to be made in voice-overs. If you’re thinking of getting into the industry, it does not always take acting skills to get started, but it does help. When you’re doing voice-overs you have to make it sound real, convincing, and unique.
Dan
If you truly put all your effort into being a voice-over artist, you can truly make a great living doing it, and maybe one day you’ll end up with similar pay to those who do the Simpsons.
Another amazing voice-over artist who is actually an actor by trade, but has done a few movies with a voice-over, is Eddie Murphy. Many of you remember him as playing “Donkey” in the Shrek movies. Because of the wildly successful and popular franchise that has earned approximately $300,000,000 or more domestically, per movie, Eddie Murphy’s voice over pay is probably one of the highest paid voice-overs of all time. For one of the latest movies in the Shrek franchise, he received $20 million. Even though this is a standard fee for stars of his caliber. It only took him four hours to do the voice-over, amounting to a total of $5 million per hour! Who wouldn’t want a paycheck like that sitting around waiting for them? Although this is a phenomenal amount of money for such a short period of time, it goes to show that this type of money is possible and that even voice-over movies can make a fortune.
Voice-overs are everywhere you look. If you have ever listened to an audiobook; Stephen King is a very popular one out there, voice-overs are needed to read the stories. In cases such as these, a voice-over artist will read with passion and creativity; the books that are presented to them. Voice-over artists are also needed for radio shows too. Sometimes stations will need to put on a skit or show, or something to promote their radio station, and a voice-over artist may be required for this. If you’ve ever seen a commercial with no particular person in there, only pictures or scenes, but you hear a voice, a voice-over artist was involved in this. Many times you see a movie commercial and you hear that voice; you know, the deep booming voice that draws you into the movie and makes you want to watch it, that’s also a voice-over artist. As a matter of fact, that voice-over artists name is Don LaFontaine. He’s done over 750,000 television spots and voiced over 5000 movies. He worked primarily for Paramount pictures. Although he died in 2008, he will always be remembered as, “The Voice”.
There are many other voice-over artists that have become exceedingly popular today, such as Seth McFarlane. Not too long ago, he made one of the funniest movies of all time that was not only highly rated, but brought in a fortune. The movie was called “Ted.” Ted was about a teddy bear that cursed, drank, smoke, and had sex with women. This teddy bear was so hilarious; it drew in young and old alike to watch the movie. For those who don’t know Seth McFarlane, he is also the creator of Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show, among others. He does many voices, including Peter Griffin, Brian Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Stan Smith, and so much more. He can arguably be called the highest-paid voice-over artist, because he owns the franchises and does his own voice-overs. It’s amazing that someone can make movies, but also do voice-over for shows, and become extremely rich.
Although these stories are one in a million, they do happen. If you’re serious about becoming a voice-over artist, the first thing you need to do is get with a talent agency, or if you have a manager, have them book you an audition with a voice agency. If you have true voice talent, a good agency will be able to pick you out of the lineup, and start you off. There is never a promise of fame or fortune when it comes to Hollywood, but making an effort is the first thing you need to get started. Voice-actors are needed everywhere you can think of. If an ad is placed for voice-overs, but it’s not specific, answer it anyways, because it could be in any medium. Television, radio, movies and so much more need voice talent. You can always start off small and do some voice-overs for local radio stations or even commercials. Anything you do can lead you to being discovered, and becoming much bigger in the future, either in voice-overs, or sometimes as a star in Hollywood itself.
Consider life as a movie that you have to see through to the end to know what’s going to happen. If you truly want to become a voice over artist, don’t delay anymore, start practicing, and go for your shot in Hollywood today!
