Greg Marston International Voice Over
That is an incredibly difficult question to answer succinctly!
Oversimplified, and, in my opinion-slash-experience, it goes like this:
1. Do you think you have a good speaking voice? In other words, can you speak clearly and control the projection (volume) of your voice up and down the range without shouting too loud that it’s almost a scream, or whispering so low no one can really hear you? Also, can you read an entire paragraph or two from a script without hesitating or pausing in unusual places and not read in a monotone way such that whoever’s listening to you has dropped off to sleep by the time you reach the end?
2. Can you ‘sight-read’? Which means can you read text without having necessarily pre-read and/or ‘rehearsed’ any of it, straight off the page, and make it sound, at the very least, coherent and interesting?
If you fulfil those two basic criteria, what are you waiting for? Find a bunch of scripts, get yourself some fundamental recording equipment – a Mac (or PC), a microphone and stand (maybe a pop-filter too), some recording software, a quiet room with decent acoustics – and then voice the scripts, make up a demo/showreel and hit the online agencies.
It might help to seek some voice-training and/or advice in general first though – and there are plenty of well established professional voice and voice-over coaches out there…
A voice-over artist is a person who possesses a good – or at the very least unique – and interesting voice and can use it to read (or voice) many different script styles to impart knowledge, explain how things work, describe advances in technology, science etc., narrate dramatic passages of text, ask someone to “please hold the line”, entertain and generally use the power of the human voice to tell stories and paint aural pictures to listeners around the world.
Oh and then there’s “Buy one get two free!”…
“Voice-Over Services” is a catchall phrase which encompasses everything many voice-overs might offer. So not just the actual “voice-over”. Most voice-overs offer the basics of recording and delivery of audio. Some may also supply, if requested, any processing and/or sound-sweetening (compression, echo, reverb etc.) of recorded audio, in a format chosen by the client/studio, along with assistance regarding the ‘tweaking’ of a script to make it read/flow better, proofing, more than one take…it’s all down to the individual voice-over artist…
It depends on whether you’re talking about being engaged by a client to voice something which is going to be broadcast on YouTube versus voicing your own audio or video (vlogging) piece for airing solo or a generic YouTube Channel. If you have the aforementioned equipment (see above in “how do you become a voice-over artist”) and a little knowledge as to how to use it, then for sure, you can voice-over a YouTube Video…
I’ve always said that everyone who has a voice has [at least] one voice within them which could be used to voice something. No matter what they think they sound like. No matter if they have a “commercial” sounding voice or a “voice-of-god” sounding voice. And certainly, no matter where they’re from and what type/kind of voice or accent they have…
Most voice-over work, as such, is ‘found’ online – via online agencies, through production companies, even on Facebook. Simply by searching for “voice-over”, “voice-over-artist”, “voice-over agency”, “recording”, “narration”, “documentary” and similar keywords, there will be pages and pages of information as to where to go to find voice-over work…
This question has been answered in one of my blog posts. Why not give this blog a visit?
Why Would You Need to Book a Voice-Over Artist?
Many voice-over artists who do what they do for a living – full-time or part-time – will have either built (or had built for them) some kind of voice-booth and/or studio to ensure that no traffic or street, aeroplane, building work, pedestrian, animal, lawn mower and other assorted external noises don’t end up on the recording!
Some voice-overs who already live in a quiet environment use a variety of soft furnishings and covers arranged in a small room or area to deaden the “live” sound usually found in most areas and rooms to achieve a decent recording ambience. But you have to know what you’re doing to achieve this effectively…