Voice actors, also known as voiceover artists, provide the voices behind the dubbed voices in foreign films, the characters in cartoons and video games, and the narration in commercial advertisements. While it may seem less glamorous than physical acting, voice actors are an essential part of the filming process. For information on how to become a voice actor, please check out the information in this how to.

Voice actors have an exciting job; they provide voiceovers for all kinds of film presentations, including supplying the voices for some of the most well-known characters on television and in film. Whether they work in cartoons or video games, or read the English scripts for foreign language films, a voice actor must be disciplined no matter whose voice they are portraying.

First and foremost, voice actors are actors, and must be able to vocally express the necessary emotions that will make the characters they portray convincing. Voice actors must also be versatile and consistent to establish themselves in their field.

• If you are still in high school, you have the perfect opportunity to exercise your acting skills, and that includes using your voice to make characters come to life. Trying out for school productions will give you a chance to:

1. Explore and become new characters
2. Work on altering your voice
3. Try out new dialects
4. Associate action and emotion with voice inflection

• If you aren't in high school or would like even more opportunities to explore this side of yourself and your voice, try looking into community theatre programs.

• Begin training professionally as early as possible. For example:

1. Train with a voice coach.
2. Train with an acting coach.
3. Take acting classes and lessons.
4. Consider working in radio.

• There are no education requirements for voice actors, but a college education will provide you with more experience. When entering college, consider majoring in performance arts or mass communication. Both will give you several opportunities to explore different sides of your voice.

• When you're ready to start getting voice acting jobs, you'll want to use professional equipment to record yourself acting out different voice roles. Once you've created a versatile demo that showcases your abilities, you'll want to start sending it out and bringing it with you to auditions. When auditioning, be sure to pay close attention to what the casting director is looking for before you start showing them what you've got.

• Many voice acting jobs will be available in cities, but if the idea of moving to the city to audition for roles is discouraging, there are a number of ways you can still do voice acting from more rural areas. For example:

1. Building an in-home studio will allow you to work from home.
2. Local opportunities may be available. Look into them.
3. Consider commuting into the city when needed.

• Voice actors must be incredibly versatile. For example, Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy and American Dad, provides voices for a number of characters on both shows. If you are interested in pursuing a career in voice acting, get involved in theatre and learn the ins and outs of acting. Take voice lessons and consider an education in performance arts or mass communications.

• When you're ready to enter into the workforce, consider going to the city where much of the work is. And if you aren't looking to move to the city, explore your local area for local voice acting jobs or make plans to commute. You may even be able to work from your own in-home studio.

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