Voice actors often do radio commercials.
Dubbing is the art of representing the voices of characters in animated movies and television shows. Instead of just providing a voice, a voice actor must develop her character in the same way that other actors in the field of performing arts do. Voice-over coaches recommend that those desiring a career as a voice actor begin by studying drama and taking regular acting classes to develop basic skills before gradually transitioning from stage acting to voice-over.
Movies and animated shows use voice actors.
Most voice actors in North America must live in Los Angeles, California to get jobs in the voice acting field. Agents must represent voice actors for voice casting companies, and to get an agent, an aspiring voice actor must have a demo tape. A demo tape is a recorded demonstration of what an artist can do in terms of creative performance. After taking acting and voice acting classes and learning how to become a good actor, aspiring voice actors must study cartoons and develop their own animated voices. Once the vocals are perfected, the demo tape can be prepared.
It is important that a dub demo tape contain a wide range of unique voices. The characters must be involved in active situations, since animated movies and shows are mostly about physical actions, not psychological ones. Agents and voice casting companies look for voice actors who understand how to convey different emotions and attitudes in animated characters to give cartoons personality. The more different types of animated voices and action scenes a demo tape has, the more likely an aspiring voice actor will be seen as having useful talent and vision for the industry. Of course, quantity is no substitute for quality, especially when the purpose of the demo tape is to showcase dubbing skill.
The unique talent and ability to be versatile in creating voices for each different character often results in more work available to voice actors. Still, voice acting can be a difficult field to break into. The Art of Voice Acting by James Alburger is a popular book that covers the profession of voice acting, from acting techniques to creating demo tapes to becoming a voice actor.
In addition to studying acting and working with voices to prepare a demo tape, aspiring voice actors should get whatever voice experience they can get. Volunteering to advertise to customers in retail stores is one chance to gain early experience. Interning at a local radio station to do voice-over work for commercials is another possibility, but courteous perseverance is needed to gain experience, as the competition for voice-over opportunities can be competitive.