VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

mpelishek · Guest

I understand there are quite a few 'recovering' radio folks in here who have made the transition from DJ to VO. And others who do both.

A few years ago, I would have thought that radio was a great gateway into VO work, but more recently I've been getting the impression that a radio (announcing) background can make it more difficult to be good at VO.

For those who have made the transition, what are your thoughts? Pros/cons?

KaraEdwards · Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:13 pm Post subject:

I spent 11 years in radio...I don't believe it has hurt my VO career one bit!

Quite the contrary actually- I think learning to adlib, read copy cold, and do different voices (I worked with personality driven shows) helped me a ton in my transition to full-time VO.

But, if you have a heavy 'announcer' sound from being on the radio (though I don't believe many stations want that sound anymore) then maybe it could be an issue?
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bobsouer · Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:31 pm Post subject:

Matt,

A great deal depends on the kind of voiceover work you want to do. If you want to do a lot of imaging work, a radio background can be a great benefit. But because so much voice work at a radio station is "get it done, quickly and to time" without a lot of regard for the actual performance, it can be a major barrier to overcome for commercial voiceover work. A good coach can help you sort out what to keep and what to discard.
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Dan-O · The Gates of Troy Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 1638

whalewtchr · Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:25 pm Post subject:

+1 Kara, Bob and Dan-O
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imaginator · Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:09 pm Post subject:

a background in Radio (with a Large R) is the gateway to having what "voiceovers" is, or should be, all about: the ability to create imagery with words and language, interacting with sounds and music...in a way that dwarfs the picture of the biggest TV screen.

a background in radio (small r) may give you some of that, but more often than not it just teaches you to sound like everybody else, cranking stuff through the assembly line and homogenizing sound until everything sounds just like everything else...and to do it for the lowest possible price just to say you're "on the radio".

our biggest task is to learn what to keep and what to discard.

(the soapbox is yours to keep at no extra charge.)
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bobbinbeamo · Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 10:47 am Post subject:

Thank you Dan-o. I missed that discussion, and found it intriguing. I think being in radio helped me a lot. It's been 20 years now, since my last on-air gig, so I think I've evolved, but still have those stupid radio dreams with the dreaded dead air!
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 11:34 am Post subject:

As with so many things, this discussion often gets thrown off the trail with generalities. Two we frequently hear are, "Nobody wants announcers any more; they just want 'real people,'" and "A background in radio is detrimental to a career in voice over." Neither of these statements is entirely true, although there is a tinge of reality in both of them.

There was a time when virtually all commercials and other narrations called for an announcer guy with an announcer voice. Those days are over. The flavor of the month may very well be the "real person" but there are still plenty of jobs that call for an an old fashioned announcery announcer.

And many, if not most, of those people come from the world of radio. The thing is, even in radio there are good announcers with nice pipes and smooth deliveries and an ability to relate to the audience -- and there are the ones we present and former radio guys refer to as "pukers." They were never any good and they still aren't. So, when somebody posts a job and says "No announcers" or "No radio," what they are often saying is "We aren't interested in 'Ron Radio'" (you know who/what that is). So if any part of him resides in you, it is best to get the training necessary to rid yourself of him (except if you need to call upon him for parody purposes only).
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roger · Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 11:58 am Post subject:

Well said said, Lee.
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mpelishek · Guest

Great feedback. Dan-O, I'll read through that thread. Lee, I appreciate your response, very concise. Thanks guys.

I've done just a couple of small VO things. I've known others who have done as much as I have in VO (i.e. very little) and get all self important. I hate that.

I am here to learn, and even if I ever see any success in this field, I'll still be here to learn. I appreciate it.