Sorry it took me all day to reply, I saw it when I logged on and then it completely slipped my mind! Anyway, I hope you don’t mind that I’m answering publicly, but I figure that when giving out advice like this, the more people see it, the better. Anyhow, I assume you’re meaning this in the sense of “I’d like to take up VA stuff myself” (I definitely hope so, at least, because otherwise this whole post is gonna be pointless!), so here we go!
- I know it’s advice you hear from literally every VA, but it’s utterly crucial: your acting is, and always will be, more important than your voices. It doesn’t matter how different you can make your voice sound, if it doesn’t sound believable, it doesn’t mean a thing. Acting workshops/classes are always the best option, but if that’s something unavailable to you (like it was for me), then just baptise yourself by fire and throw yourself into auditioning for things and making videos and whatnot. Practise and patience are essential. You don’t do something for a long time without getting the hang of it, after all!
- Absolutely do not be thin-skinned. you’re going to hear negative comments and judgements everywhere you turn, especially when you’re new. Yes, they can hurt, especially when delivered tactlessly. but they’re how you get better. You might be your own harshest critic, but that doesn’t mean you can spot all of your mistakes. Others can. Don’t let it get you down, just take it in stride and promise yourself “I’ll get it next time”.
- Leave your inhibitions at the door. Inevitably, you’re going to have to do some shouting, or crying, or screaming, or something similarly loud. Alternatively, you’ll have to read some particularly risque lines. Don’t let this hinder you at all. If you’re too embarrassed to read lines like that, you’ll end up giving a stiff, awkward performance. Trust me when i say the shame of having wooden takes out in the open is much greater than the shame of recording them as you would any other line. If you’ve gotta say some dumb shit, do it with pride, man!
- A lot of people will say “your equipment doesn’t matter if you’re a good actor”, but here’s the unfortunate truth: your mic quality is more important to your recordings than you’d imagine. You could be the next Olivier, but if you’re auditioning for projects on a laptop mic in the middle of a thunderstorm, you won’t be viewed favourably. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to shell out a fuckton of cash for something good, but absolutely do your research before buying a mic. The mic I used for the past year or so was the Blue Snowball, which you can find for around $40-50 used on Amazon. I’d recommend it highly for a beginner. (I’d also recommend asking around when it comes to hardware, I’m not very knowledgeable on the tech side of things.) You should also learn how to properly use noise removal, as it’s essential for making your audio sound as clean as can be. Here’s a tutorial for it in Audacity. If that’s not your recording software of choice, do some googling, I’m sure you can find something effective.
- Finally, get integrated into some communities! Meet other voice actors, new OR experienced! I learned a lot of the things I know just from talking with other VAs that i met around. Don’t be afraid to ask people to collaborate with you, either. After all, we all do this because we love it, and being offered roles is always a pleasure, no matter where they come from. Plus, when has new friends ever been a bad thing? The ‘voice acting’ and 'voice over’ tags on Tumblr are home to a lot of newbies looking for an audience that I’m certain would be overjoyed to help you out. As for open auditions, Voice Acting Alliance and Voice Acting Club are excellent places to keep an eye out! There’s also the audio and collaboration forums on Newgrounds (though I’ll be frank, I don’t understand NG very well) and Behind the Voice Actors (which is more of a database than anything else, but still a good resource to have). There’s a lot of good reads and some really cool people, so knock yourself out.
Oh, and I know it sounds like a trite thing to say, but really: have fun. If you take it all too seriously, you’ll stress yourself out. Hope I actually helped out a little, sorry for the long-ass post, and good luck!
(via timeanustestified)