“Anyone can be a voiceover!”

“ANYONE CAN BE A VOICEOVER!”

Load of old bollocks, isn’t it?

But there are some websites, training courses and networking groups who reckon this is true. As long as you pay them for their book/course/networking event, natch. (Some charge £20 for just one day’s access to their members only area! Twenty quid for just ONE DAY!!! Then £25 a month thereafter, obv. Some also claim you can set up as a voiceover for just £150! I wish I’d bloody known that. And there are some who claim you can earn five grand in half an hour. HahahahahhaAHAHAHAHAHAA!)

Personally, I think it’s wrong to promise that “anyone can be a voiceover.”

But anyone with a mouth can speak, I hear you cry. (If indeed they do use their mouths for speaking).

And of course anyone can record their voice. But that doesn’t make them a voiceover. Because being a voiceover is a profession – something you make money out of because you have a good reputation and you’re good at what you do.

I asked the question on Twitter.

So Twitpals, do you think it’s true that “anyone can be a voiceover”?

— Emma Clarke (@emmabclarke) April 29, 2015

Here are some replies:

.@emmabclarke no. Not like the best and couldn’t charge for it. https://t.co/2MjDCGZSR6 How many Hal Douglas are there? How many you?

— Matt Aguilera (@Matt_Aguilera) April 29, 2015

@emmabclarke Not a professional one, no. Only as a vox pop.

— The Bee Watcher (@TheBeeWatcher) April 29, 2015

@emmabclarke Nope. Some people can read and some can write. Some can speak and some can emote. Big difference.

— Judge Mental (@Foo_Cough) April 29, 2015

@emmabclarke No. If I could be a voiceover, I’d save a fortune. Interestingly, I can present shows, but can’t voice promos/tags at all…

— Chris Stevens (@chrisukstevens) April 29, 2015

@emmabclarke No. It’s more than just reading words. It’s making sure you’re real, emotive and authentic whilst sounding natural

— Ian Pinnell (@producerpinnell) April 29, 2015

I really want to be a dancer – I have a body don’t I? I can move my lumbering form to music? CALL THE ROYAL BALLET! I can kick a ball. LET’S RING MANCHESTER UNITED! Or, like my colleague Pete Nottage, perhaps you’d like to be a heart surgeon?

If you truly want to become a voiceover, paying money to someone who tells you they can make your dream come true is a waste of time and cash.

Here are my top tips for voiceover success:

• Practice.
• Listen – to your own voice and pro voices you respect.
• Get advice – there are many free resources available online.
• Repeat the above many, many times.

Don’t waste your money on the Machiavellis promising the unpromisable. Develop your talent instead.

To hear some character nonsense I’ve voiced, click here.