When it comes to developing a skill-set as a VoiceOver artist, there’s one area that really deserves some special attention – Character Voice Narration.
Its one of the most challenging, yet strangely rewarding genres you can specialise in and it shows up in so many different types of projects, from radio commercials and tv ads, to museum guides, eLearning and audiobooks.
In short, character voices are an incredible tool for providing context and when its done convincingly, it knocks the ball out of the park.
Character work requires both skill and imagination, which perhaps suggests that it should be avoided by those without formal acting training. That’s actually not completely true because we’re dealing strictly with audio.
What you need is excellent quality voice coaching, a strong imagination and an ability to interpret a brief well
Here’s a run down of areas where you might find a character voice. You might be surprised by some of these.
Audiobooks
I’ve narrated a lot of Audiobooks, (57 at the last count). I love the process, even though they’re hard work and take a lot of time to complete. However the one thing thats sure to double the effort required is lots of character dialogue.
A book with 17 characters, all with different ages, characteristics and accents, just imagine that. I take my hat off to anyone that can satisfy the audition with that brief.
Audiobooks need consistency in the character voice, so that affects the way you approach narrating the script. The other thing to remember though is that audiobooks are a marathon, not a sprint, so the accent or quirks are often dialled down quite a lot.
Game Audio Characters
The exact opposite is true with Game Characters, where you often get free rein to ramp it up to 11. This is possibly my most favourite line of voiceover work, where I get to be ridiculous, outrageous and essentially be a big kid again.
There’s some common themes requested by game designers in the game VoiceOver world, like the wise old wizard, the melancholy warrior, the inter-dimensional being and an evil demonic voice, complete with effects.
Just consider for a second all the different types of games out there and you’ll see why my voice has featured on everything from alien invasion themes to golf commentary.
Remember also that every game is a commercial enterprise for someone and there’s the whole genre of promo material, (in character) that needs to be serviced.
Commercial Ads
Speaking of commercial material, if you turn on your radio it won’t be long before you’ll hear a guy straight from a building site, saying how good the timber supplier is down the road.
Its another area where you get to be ridiculous again and I’ve been known to voice commercials for things like vacuum cleaners in the style of a viking warrior.
The creative brief with ads doesn’t have to be completely on the nose like that though. It can literally just be a request for a type of voice, old, wise, warm, fun, soothing etc.
The commercial ad for tv or radio is what many people think of when you mention VoiceOver and it still has connotations of fast paced, overly dramatic, voice of God style sales pitches for furniture sales.
Voicemail
Believe it or not, there’s a market for character voices in the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) genre of work. As a British Male Voiceover Artist, it would be hugely remiss of me to not have a good ‘Sir David Attenborough’ impression nailed down.
There’s one particular boutique hotel in the US where his warm and engaging tone can be heard when all the lines are busy. There’s also a plastering company in the UK that features my rendition of Sir David on their answer-phone.
Judging by the number of auditions I see posted on casting sites each day for work in the style of Sir David, I imagine there’s quite a lot of his voice out there.
I also do a pretty good Professor Brian Cox, but tend to steer clear of the frequent requests for a voice like ‘Morgan Freeman’.
It really comes down to knowing what you can and you can’t do when it comes to voices. If character impersonations are not your thing, its really best avoided.
Impersonation Requests:
It’s also very common to get requests to do: Donald Trump, King Charles and Prince William, as well as Brian Blessed and any of the James Bond actors. Just remember that if you can’t do it convincingly, then you really shouldn’t.
Documentary Characters
I’ve worked with studios, providing a great British RP narrative documentary style read and been able to surprise the budget constrained producers with my character work.
Once they know I have this in my locker, its not uncommon to be asked to provide the voice of an interviewee as part of the same production.
eLearning
It may be surprising to hear that character voices are often heard in eLearning courses. There’s a huge demand for scenario based teaching, such as Human Resources training and explainer videos, presented from the view-point of an employee.
One of the challenges with eLearning is being able to deliver the content in a way that keeps the listener engaged and interested, so mixing it up with some character work is a big win.
Audioguides and Museum Guides
Have you ever been to a Science Museum, or an Historical Site and been met by a talking statue. Here again, the chance to play around with silly voices. I’ve read my last will and testament as a 90 year old Frenchman, recorded with a German accent from the cockpit of a fighter plane and rallied troops on the eve of the Battle of the Somme.
Theme Parks
Here, we venture from the ridiculous voice, to the ridiculous voice with a serious message. ‘Strap yourselves in and please secure all Han-sets and personal devices’, delivered in the style of an Alien Predator.
Medical Narration
Medical Narration and Clinical Training is an unusual area to find character work, you might think. There’s often a requirement for character role-play, as either a Doctor, a Nurse, or a patient. It’s a useful device for contextual training, rather like with the eLearning HR scenarios I mentioned.
With a 30 year background in healthcare, a high level of clinical literacy and an understanding of the medical land-scape, its an area that I’ve enjoyed working for many years.
Need A Character Voice ?
I love narrating character voices and its not uncommon to find me in stitches of laughter having just completed a recording. That amount of joy is exactly why I got into this line of work, so please reach out if you’d like to test me out for your next project.
James Fowler is a British Voiceover Artist, living and working in Hampshire, UK. He delivers character work for clients World-wide from his dedicated studio, with a reputation for creating authentic, compelling and believable voices.
