Did you love watching cartoons and animation while growing up? Are you still intrigued by cartoon physics as an adult? Do you find yourself saying “I can do that” as you listen to the voices of animated characters? Maybe it is time to consider cartoon voice over jobs. Nowadays, in the advertising industry, more companies are implementing their marketing campaigns into animated adverts. They are learning that animations are more appealing to the larger demography.
Unlike other video actors that use their entire body in acting and selling a character, cartoon voice over jobs require only sound as the selling tool. That’s why, as you listen to professional voice actors perform, you are likely to think that the act is a walk in the park. However, this is far from being true. Such jobs usually require overall proper voice over training and lots of practice.
In cartoon voice over jobs, they require hard work if the audience is to enjoy animation as they always do. Moreover, there is much time needed to make the cartoon successful. Therefore, voice-over actors are central and invaluable in the production process due to the effort and time they put into all cartoon shows.
Today we are now going to learn about the aspects of cartoon voice over jobs available.
Let’s go!
Listen to the TLDR(Too Long Didn’t Read) version of this article:
Or if you prefer to watch a video instead, click here:
This post was updated in April 2021
Sphere of Cartoon Voice Over Jobs
With technology advancing fast, especially in the 21st century, it is becoming easier and cheaper to produce cartoons and animated videos than ever before. No more requirements for big Hollywood-like budgets in creating a successful animation that is appealing to the masses.
Previously, when most people heard about cartoon voice over jobs, they tended to think of big animation studios in the US. They include Walt Disney Animation Studios, Warner Bros Animation, Universal Animation Studios, 20th Century Fox Animation, Blue Sky Studio, Cartoon Network Studio, Illumination, Marvel animation, MGM Animation, MTV Animation, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Pixar, Sony Pictures Animation, and many more.
But today, the assumption is shifting. Video games, TV cartoons, character commercials, toys, in direct-to-DVD features, plus a lot more are using character voices in their creation. Let’s look into some of the examples mentioned above, shall we?
1. Video Game Animation
Since the late 2000s, the video game market has been rivaling the motion picture industry for dominance in the entertainment market. So, as video games continued to advance, a new style of acting came into being: voice-over acting for video games. The newly formed sector often required actors to act out many lines throughout the video. Actresses also needed to include groans and grunts portrayed in the heat of the game.
Unlike the ancient art of animating still images in the past, today’s evolutionary offshoots of the art form are quite different; making the gaming industry more diverse than ever. Video games now offer an abundance of rich animation. Such abundance can either be in the form of plentiful in-game engine animations or the full-motion video cut scenes.
2. Feature Film animation
Many feature films, produced in series, are using non-celebrity voices to portray their characters. Famous examples are Japanese Anime and Adult Swim shows. Therefore, if a voice actor is cast in a role in one of the episodes, they are likely to be cast more time in the series.
The internet is also providing numerous opportunities to actors such as online student films and shorts that help them gain credits and experience.
3. Media Animation Commercial Voices
As creating animated videos becomes more manageable and cheaper, more marketing firms are looking into animation in diversifying their advertisement needs. Thus, they are creating more cartoon voice over jobs for the ordinary citizen involved in the profession. Not only are the marketers targeting television and radio ads, but they are also getting in on the action in online platform ads.
Developing the Skills Before Enrolling in Cartoon Voice Over Jobs
When it comes to cartoon voice over jobs, adaptability to various situations is an asset. Versatility will enable the voice actor to adjust to different styles when needed. Therefore, being able to portray a lot of different aspects using different yet unique voice will give an actor a competitive advantage. With this skill, one can perform voice-overs for a myriad of styles in a cartoon; this is even after being hired to feature in a single role.
Hence, by learning to vary the level of your pitch level, you’ll be able to speak in diverse vocal ranges. The diversity allows the provision of unique voices to different characters. Therefore, the vocal range is quite crucial in creating sounds for various roles.
Having consistency in voice, not just a wide vocal range, is also essential. An actor should be able to offer the same kind of sound throughout a performance involving the same character. Likewise, they should be able to be proficient at lip-synching. The actors’ library of sounds should include a character’s laugh, cry and reaction noises.
Already have the skills you need? Apply here and become a Bunny Pro today!
Apart from the skills listed above, here are a few more tips to adhere to before and when applying for cartoon voice over jobs:
1. Own your Cartoon Voice Over Job Niche
To be truly successful in this day and age of voice acting, you’ll need to find a niche you truly enjoy as a cartoon voice actor. Specializing doesn’t necessarily mean only knowing one thing. Before settling on a niche, it is good to expose yourself to these three pillars of voice-overs:
- Animation projects: The work involved in acting and performing out a character helps in honing career development
- Commercial reads: these enhance the art of selling to the audience
- Longform narration: it enables sharpening the skills of clean style splits and increases stamina for reading
Once you dedicate your time to developing skills in each of the pillars above, you will be able to comfortably find a niche where you can flourish in cartoon voice over jobs.
Use Sample Scripts to Discover your Niche
When it comes to cartoon voice over jobs, merely recording your voice for an audition then submitting won’t cut it. Rather than just reading through the script, you’ll need to understand it first. Successful voice actresses suggest that this is what led to their success in the field.
Strengthen your grasp of a niche by regularly practicing your voice scripts using various voice over scripts. Over time, you’ll be improving your level of competence in the area.
2. Find Suitable Role Models doing Cartoon Voice Over Jobs
To be successful in any industry, studying those who are successful in their craft is quite essential. The study will provide significant insights as to how the gurus became successful. Also, researching these people can give you clues on how they overcame great ordeals and challenges in their career paths. These clues might come in handy when you are facing similar problems on your own.
As an animation voice-over character, one place is to visit a website called Behind the Voice Actors. Here, you can alphabetically find the sound actors and actresses to all your preferred characters in your favorite shows. Moreover, it is possible to look for a specific actress in their custom search toolbox.
3. Grow that Cartoon Voice Index
Are you aiming to become a voice actor? Then it would be a great idea to have a collection of voices in your head. With such a mental group of sounds, you can easily pull out one of the sounds and use it on the spot. Having an index of already practiced voice is better than winging them all the time.
Furthermore, being able to imitate famous people is an important skill when it comes to animations that have a celebrity’s appearance often. Some of these shows include Family Guy and South Park.
The icing of the cake is the ability to do classic cartoon characters. With the unavailability of original animation voices such as Mel Blanc, legacy performers are in high demand right now. So being able to mimic such legendary sounds would be a significant boost to your overall career.
4. Get into Character
Having a great voice isn’t enough to get into character: creativity is also a requirement. Creativity helps in determining the right voice suited to the personality in the script.
Most successful animation voice actors have a strategy when it comes to choosing a voice for a character. The actresses will first contemplate on the elements of the trait required. Then they will think through several different sounds their head; settling on a voice that personifies the character in question.
These cartoon voice actors also suggest doing some considerable research before settling on a particular voice. The study could be on:
- What a unique character would sound like
- Company or product details
- Script pronunciation
Moreover, actors need to fit into the characters’ shoes and ask themselves questions like who am I? When is it? What do I want? and Where am I?
By answering the questions above, they will help you in doing internal research about how to express the character in the script.
5. Build on your Resume
Don’t expect to be an instant hit in the cartoon voice over jobs. The road in the show business is long and filled with uncertainty. The best place to start as an upcoming animation voice actress is to accept low-paying, non-threatening jobs. Please make sure that they are as close to the industry sector that you want as possible.
Such jobs will give you a stepping stone to expand your career. By doing some commercial gigs on the side, you’ll be gaining valuable skills in working with recording equipment. Furthermore, you will be networking with other professionals in the fields who in the future might land you a better paying job. Remember to take every opportunity to showcase your talent because you never know where the next opportunity lies!
Final Words on Cartoon Voice Over Jobs
Cartoon voice over jobs are growing steadily as technology advances. Small entertainment groups are getting in on the action, providing numerous opportunities to upcoming animation voice over actors and actresses.
Therefore, if you enjoy mimicking and creating various canny voices in your head, then these jobs are for you!
And, of course, if you’ve got the goods, we just might have a job for you. Apply here and start getting high-quality gigs!
