The
Bottom Line On Accents and Funny Voices
By Susan Berkley
Tips and techniques for beginners and professionals
who want
to make big money in voiceover.
copyright
2001, The Great Voice Company | All Rights Reserved
Many people are born mimics. They can copy accents easily and entertain others
with a variety of voices. While this innate talent might also mean you have a
good ear and a ãknack" for voiceover work, you will still need training to
focus your skills and adapt them to the demands of the market. Take accents,
for example. The next time you listen to the radio, notice how very few commercials
feature voice actors speaking in accents or dialects. There are several reasons
for this. An accent may be difficult for many people to understand. If an ad can't
be understood, its purpose is defeated. An accent may offend members of a particular
ethnic group. Or an accent or dialect may cause certain preconceptions in the
mind of the listener. For example, it may not be fair or true but some people
foolishly assume that a speaker with a southern accent is slow or uneducated.
For all these reasons and more, advertisers tend to steer clear of using accents
in their commercials. Animation is a different story. Funny accents can
bring life to a character in cartoons and other children's entertainment. However,
just because you can do accents doesn't mean you can do cartoons. You have to
be able to use your voice to create real, believable characters that are much
more than a funny voice. The best animation voice specialists sustain their characters
indefinitely (not just for a few lines) and can do a wide range of voices within
the same production. Also, most of the animation work is done in Los Angeles,
Orlando and Toronto. There isn't as much opportunity in other cities. Because
copywriters frequently use humor to sell, an ability to handle humorous copy and
good comedic timing is a real asset for voiceover work. These skills can be developed
by working with a competent coach. If you're naturally funny, you should definitely
showcase it on your demo tape.
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