Fluent Reading For Better Voice Over

Posted on February 12, 2016 by William Williams
Fluent Reading starts young

Fluent Reading is Important in Voice Over

I’ve been teaching voice overs for twenty years and every student begins with the same declaration: “I can talk and I can read, so I can do this”. One of the first things we discover is that half of these talents can’t read. Now, I don’t meant they read like in the first grade, “See Spot run. Run, Spot, Run”.

I mean they can’t get through a sixty second ad without stumbling on words, missing words or substituting words. Some aspire to read audio books in their career. Well, trust me, if you can’t nail a sixty second spot, you’ll never get through a 257,000 word Harry Potter book. Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Auditioning, Commercials, Narration, Professionalism | 1 Comment

Does Singing Help with Voiceover?

Posted on January 11, 2016 by William Williams

Singing helps voiceoverPeople come to voice over from a variety of different backgrounds. Some come from the broadcasting world. They bring clear enunciation and solid reading skills. Others come out of on-camera or stage acting. They have and edge when it comes to voice acting, which is a required skill in modern voice over performance. Still more are cartoon or game junkies. And they have an acquired reservoir of of characters stored away in their mind. But what about singing? Continue reading →

Posted in Acting Skills, Animation, Auditioning, Commercials, Narration, Professionalism | Leave a comment

Here’s Why You Don’t Want Voice Over Jobs

Posted on November 3, 2015 by William Williams
It Ain't Ditch Digging

OK, voice over ain’t ditch diggin’

What? Are you crazy? Of course I want jobs!

Whaddayatalkinabout?

Well, in most voice over jobs you work as a private contractor.

So unlike in a job job, you may have several different employers each week.  And several different bosses.

A steady stream of these jobs is the life blood of a voice over career. So jobs is a good thing, right?

But if you are just chasing jobs, you need to change your focus. Continue reading →

Posted in Auditioning | 7 Comments

Create Winning Voice Overs with Your “Non-Verbal Toolkit”

Posted on August 16, 2015 by William Williams

There’s a myth about speech that has been around since the Egyptians invented hieroglyphics. And that myth is that somehow you can take all of speech and condense it down to written words on a piece of paper.

Actually I think that 70% of speech is what I call nonverbal. What I mean by that is it’s not the words that you’re saying but how you say them that conveys most of the information.

So to be good at voiceovers you need to understand and control your nonverbal toolkit. This video explains what it is and how to use it to produce winning voice over auditions and jobs.

What techniques do you think contribute to a winning voice over?  Leave a comment below.

 

Posted in Acting Skills, Animation, Auditioning, Commercials, Narration, Voice Over Videos by William Williams | Leave a comment

Get On Track with William Williams Voice Over GPS™

Posted on August 14, 2015 by William Williams

William Williams Voice Over GPSPlan your voice over journey with my “no BS” free guide: William Williams Voice Over GPS™.  You’ll learn:

  • Training-Why voice over is different than speech
  • Coaching-How working one-on-one will benefit you
  • Voice Over Demo-Make sure your demo pops
  • Home Recording-Skills and equipment you need
  • VO Casting-Where to find work
  • Plus Websites, Agents & SAG-AFTRA

Don’t go it alone. Take advantage of my 25+ years of experience to find the fastest route to your VO destination.

Just fill in your name and email to download your free copy now.  And then put the pedal to the metal!

Posted in Marketing, Professionalism, Voice Over Business | Comments Off on Get On Track with William Williams Voice Over GPS™

Promote Your Voice Overs with “The Milking Stool” Strategy

Posted on August 11, 2015 by William Williams

vulturesYou’ve worked on your voice over performance skills and technique.  Yeah, you can always get better but you feel you’re competitive and can give the clients a read they’ll be proud to exhibit.

Your voice has interesting variety and you have an authentic sincerity that will even warm the hearts of dishwasher soap consumers.

I always say, to be in the voice over business, you need to enjoy the process.  Auditioning should be fun, engaging your performing skills.  Recording and editing should challenge your left brain.  And the business aspects should give you pride of accomplishment.

But if you’re not getting any work… Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, Professionalism, Voice Over Business | 3 Comments

Are You Missing These 6 “Musts” for a Pro Voice Over Demo?

Posted on June 15, 2015 by William Williams

Your demo is your calling card in the voice over world. It is used by you, casting services, agents and clients to evaluate and market your skills.

With the availability of high quality recording equipment there is a tendency to attempt to create your own demo. But recording is only one aspect of a top-notch demo. And a “home-brewed” demo could restrict your opportunities for the best work.

Here are six aspects of a quality voice over demo. And some reasons why working with a demo producer will give you the best results.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Click here for more info on Demo Production.

Posted in Animation, Animation Demos, Auditioning, Commercial Demo, Commercials, Marketing, Narration, Narration Demo, Professionalism, Voice Over Demos | 1 Comment

Voice Over Home Recording Studio – What you really need

Posted on February 7, 2015 by William Williams

Yes you need the ability to record at home to be a voice over talent.  But if you’re just beginning, keep it simple.  Here are the four things you need to create broadcast quality recordings.  Any other tips? Let me know in the comments.

Posted in Auditioning, Equipment, Home Recording, Marketing, Professionalism, Voice Over Videos by William Williams | 2 Comments

ADR Automated Dialog Replacement for Film-at Aliso Creek Studios

Posted on January 14, 2015 by William Williams

aliso creek adrEver since the “Talkies” were invented, film has been a combination of the visual element – the film – and audio elements – dialog, ambiance, sound effects, “foley” and music.  The first problem they had to solve was “synching” the sound with the video.  A primitive way to do that was the slate clapperboard.  When they clapped the top of the board together it provide a visual cue and an audio cue which they could align when they married the sound and picture together.  Later techniques involved time code that connected the camera to the sound recording equipment. Continue reading →

Posted in Acting Skills, ADR for Film, Equipment | 5 Comments

Build It and They WON’T Come. 5 steps to Voice Over Promotion

Posted on January 5, 2015 by William Williams
baseball field and mic

Don’t wait for them to come… promote your voice over skills

We all remember the line from Field of Dreams.  Kevin Costner kept hearing a voice in his head that said “build it, he will come”.  If you’re interested in being a voice over artist you have to, indeed, build it.  Establishing a firm base in voice over includes getting solid instruction.  Learn what you’ve mastered and what you need to work on.  Always keep improving.

It also means getting the technical equipment and knowledge necessary to compete in this 21st century cyberworld. Learn to record at home and ship your audio files to anyone in the world in any format.

But unlike the figure in Field of Dreams, you can build this correct foundation–but they WON’T come.  The missing ingredient is PROMOTION.  Here are five steps to follow to promote your skills. Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, Professionalism | 3 Comments