Voiceovers

When I was in high school, actually, I really liked sound. I was more curious about how sound got into movies and TV shows and how to make them. I even had to chance to come up with different sounds for a theater production – with the sound guy, I helped create the sound of bells and rain with neither things on hand.

Not actually recording

I liked theater and I really thought people who did voiceover stuff were cool. I could fall in love with someone’s voice. I can remember a voice. I can feel them and see them. Not just professionals, people in my life. I can't remember names or faces, I can remember voices.

It seems like it’s a simple thing, to talk, but a lot goes into it. Accents (removing, that is) and pronunciation, tone, pitch and emotion. Voice acting can be harder than in-your-face acting.

I thought it would be cool to have a voiceover role somewhere. Be really rich off voicing some cartoon and living in virtual unknown-ish-ness.

First Time
I did some voice work when I worked at a radio station. The station fired me. Not for the voice stuff, mostly because I didn't know how to do my job. I didn't do a good job. It was my first job out of college. I sucked at it. I sucked at learning. It was some of my own fault and some of the fact that I was getting sicker without knowing it – my brain couldn't remember things and my depression was creeping in. I actually had no human contact unless I was at work – and it was with no one my own age. Everyone was in their 50s. Rough.

However, I got to do a couple commercials and I loved it. Man, I wish I could have been in the production department. Copy writing and voicing was right up my alley. I guess those people are also a dime a dozen. Rather, there were 50-year-olds who had been there for 40 years who were not leaving.

Other Stuff
I actually use to record my voice and listen – because it sounds different in my head and that’s weird – in order to help me memorize lines for theater or even when I was in college doing bits for the media part of my degree.

In my third job after college, we hired voiceover people for our training programs. Man, that sounds like the sort-of life. It’s like freelance, which is a world I am use to, plus doing stuff that is really cool that people pay you for.

Current
Oddly enough, I actually am becoming (and fighting to) be the voice of my company. Not in a PR way, in a training way. I have voiced two elearning programs and I hope to do more. Since I worked with sound stuff, I know how to do basic editing and computers today make everything easier.

I never got good at accents or anything that would make this marketable, I don't think. I don't have a way to do a setup where I live to even bring in some money freelancing. I would love to voice a book or maybe take a lesson or two. All of these things will never be in the cards for me, I am sure. But, it's nice to dream.

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.