How To Become A Voice Actor In Australia?

Do you have a great voice and reasonable acting skills? Then, consider becoming a voice actor. It is the perfect profession for a never-ending learner who wishes to make money with his voice.

Voice-over artists represent a character or provide information to an audience. They possess remarkable voice and acting skills to lend their voice to numerous genres.

There are no formal education requirements to become a voice actor in Australia. However, training in voice acting from a recognized drama school or a voice acting coach will help develop job skills.

If you find the profession exciting and want to know more about how to become a voice-over artist in Australia, then keep reading this comprehensive article.

You will learn about life as a voice actor, their daily routine, career opportunities, earning potential, and steps to kickstart a successful voice-over career.

1. What Is A Voice Actor?

Voice actors, also called voice artists or talent, possess brilliant vocal skills. They use their voice as a tool to express emotions and entertain people by way of mimicry, character voices, or impressions.

Voice actors lend their voices for television/radio commercials, animated movie characters, audiobooks, cartoons, automated announcements, narration, dubbed foreign language movies, AI-integrated and AI-modified voices, documentaries, video games, scripted podcasts, audio plays, apps, and educational content.

2. What Does A Voice Actor Do?

Learning about the duties and responsibilities of the job is essential before you start pursuing it. Preparing in advance can help determine whether the career matches your aspiration. 

Here are the typical duties of a professional voice-over artist to help you make an informed decision:

• Lend their voice for video games, anime, cartoons, narration, advertisements, audiobooks, online learning, dubbing, and promotional videos. 

• Read and record scripts, and copy other written material to deliver lines as per the project's requirements. 

• Interpret scripts, play the character directly and deliver compelling performances.

• Modify voice modulations, articulate perfectly, change tones, and provide separate deliveries for desired performances.

• Set up an audio-proof studio to record, practice, and submit voice-acting auditions.

3. What Tools And Equipment Do I Need As A Voiceover Actor?

There are plenty of essential tools that you must master to progress in this profession:

• Professional grade soundproofing materials.

• XLR cable (most mics come with one).

• A Computer

• A decent condenser Microphone 

• A comfortable pair of over-the-ear headphones to listen to your voice at a comfortable audio level

• Mixer/interface.

• A Mic Stand 

• A portable USB adapter 

• Recording Software to create crystal clear and professional-grade voice recordings. Some of the best options could be Audacity (Free), Adobe Audition, Sound Forge, Pro Tools and GarageBand.

When sourcing the right audio recording program, you must consider the price of the equipment and its compatibility with your computer.

4. Pros And Cons Of Getting Into Voice Acting

Before launching a voice-over actor profession, it is sensible to look at the benefits and challenges associated with it.

Benefits

• Rewarding: Laying your voice to local and international projects is a highly fulfilling experience. 

• Exciting: The career gives opportunities to work with a multitude of industries that you didn't know before. This makes the career varied and interesting.

• Benefit From A Community Network: You become part of the vast and supporting voice-acting community that helps develop your professional network.  Voice-over workshops and events are great platforms to meet other VO artists and develop your referral network.

• Flexibility: You enjoy the flexibility and freedom to work from any location and at your convenient schedule. This enables voice-over artists to strike a work-life balance.

• Financially Lucrative: The career of a voice actor depends on their voice. This is the sole asset that brings business to them. By consistently refining your voice and learning to modulate it flawlessly, there is no limit to how much you can earn.

• Saves Money and Time: By setting up a home studio, you can record several voice-over jobs. This helps avoid expenses incurred on commuting and parking.

• And Lastly, You Can Work in Any Outfit of Your Choice.

Challenges

• High Competition: Whether you are an aspiring, intermediate, or experienced talent, you will face intense competition in the voice-over industry. Building your identity and landing your first job as a newcomer can be challenging. You should prepare for a dozen auditions and handle rejection before you get the first break.

• Time Consuming: It takes a lot of time in the process of getting ready for the first break. Training, setting up a home studio, learning audio production, and auditioning take longer than you anticipate. Starters need Patience, willingness to explore and self-introspection.

• Emotionally Challenging: A voice actor must spend several hours inside the booth. This can lead to feeling lonely and isolated. To prevent this from happening, engaging with the voice-over community through conferences, social media groups, and Meetups will help protect your mental state and avoid burnout.

• Substantial Financial Investment: Setting up a high-quality home studio, professional-standard equipment, and implementing marketing practices can cost a lot if you take it as a full-time profession.

• Unstable Work: This is another challenge that you can face while working in this profession. Voice-over artists must network and develop strong professional relationships to get voice-over jobs for beginners in Australia.

• Can Cause Voice Strain: The profession can be demanding of their voice. They must take utmost care to prevent any vocal strain and maintain the voice healthy and in good shape.

5. Technical, Business, And Personal Skills

Whether you plan to work as a freelancer or sign a contract with an agent, you must possess a technical, business, and personal skills to land your first voice-over job. 

This section shows what it takes to become a successful voice-over artist.

Technical Skills

• Able to record, mix, and edit the audio recordings

• Able to modulate voice based on project requirements

• Able to set up and operate recording gear that includes a microphone, headphones, computer, audio interface, etc.

• Good knowledge of working with recording software such as Sony Sound Forge Pro, Audacity, Adobe Audition, Cool Edit Pro 2, etc. 

• Able to interact and transact with clients online via chat, instant messengers, or email.

• Able to work with digital audio files and make quick revisions within 24-to-48-hour turnaround times

• Likes staying updated on the latest technology

Business Skills

• Knowledge of setting up and running the home studio

• Understanding of marketing strategies to effectively promote your voice and expand your client base

• Able to develop a robust online presence through your website and social media platforms

• Able to handle admin, customer service, and accounting tasks

Personal Skills

• Comfortable working in a confined place for many hours

• Good interpersonal and communication skills

• Confidence

• Professional-sounding voice

• Enterprising skills

• Creativity

• Dedication

• Technically proficient

• Patience

• Tenacity

• Hardworking attitude

• Natural ability to get into the role to thoroughly understand the storyline and character

• Good understanding of dramatic techniques 

• Likes to be a continued learner to improvise their craft

6. Qualifications To Become A Voice Actor In Australia

You don't need a formal education to become a voice actor in Australia. 

Completing voice acting courses from recognized training schools or a voice acting coach will equip you with foundation skills and knowledge to improve your employability for the role.

7. Steps To Become A Voice Actor In Australia

Here are the steps to take to get your foot in the voice-acting industry:

Step 1: Take Acting Classes

Besides making impressions or using a humorous voice, voice acting also requires decent acting skills. There are three good ways to learn voice acting:

• Hire an acting coach for personalized training

• Attend voice-over group sessions

• Attend a Drama Voice acting school

The above learning routes will help refine pronunciation, breathing, and delivery skills to transform you into a confident and skilled performer. The concepts, techniques, and tactics you learn will prepare you for auditions and voice-acting gigs.

Voice-over coaches offer multi-level training to meet their client's requirements. If you are a beginner, you must go for generalized training. In contrast, specialized training in every niche will suit experienced voice-over artists. 

They cover audio production education, accent training, reduction, demo production, marketing, character voice development, and more.

To become a voice actor as a kid, you must listen to professional voice-over artists. Play video games, listen to voice-acting podcasts, or watch TV/radio commercials and cartoons to study how professional voice artists work. Further, how they modulate their tone, what selections they form in their delivery, and how they approach specific roles.

Step 2: Decide Between Full Time Or Part Time Voice Actor

The profession requires an upfront investment for training, Professional recording equipment, demos, and marketing. The expense can increase if you wish to make it a full-time job. If money is not an issue, you can immediately become a full-time voice actor.

However, if your current financial position could be better, starting part-time and investing in affordable tools would be better. You can find plenty of free tools in the market that can teach you essential knowledge and skills without burning a hole in your pocket. 

Once you complete several projects and earn experience, you are in a better position to take your profession to the next level.

Step 3: Record Demos

You can start making a voice-over demo reel with the right professional recording equipment. A demo is a dialogue or a combination of several lines recorded in different voices.

It is good to have separate demos for character and commercial work. You can either upload them to audition sites or submit them to talent agencies to get noticed.

Step 4: Give Auditions

Auditions or live performances are essential to the voice actor selection process. You may get plenty of opportunities for voice actor auditions in Australia. Attend auditions for only those roles that best match your talent.

Open casting calls, dedicated websites for voice artists, gaming production houses, production companies, pay to play sites such as Bodalgo.com, Voice123, Voices.com, and Mandy.com are great online spaces to get audition calls and voice-acting work.

Studying the character, practising reading your lines, good pronunciation, and avoiding drinking/smoking are good practices to follow when going for an audition. By regular practising, you will develop an appealing voice that will surely grab the attention of the casting crew and audiences.

Step 5: Sell Your Skills

Building an Online presence that reflects professionalism is the first step to marketing your talent. It should include positive client reviews and actively participate in relationship management with voice actor communities and clients.

Such an impressive online presence showcases your skills and professionalism. It assures your clients of making the right decision to hire you as a voice actor.

Social Media, including Twitter and Facebook, are great places to get in touch with the vast and supportive voice-over community. These are free-to-join platforms to build connections with other voice talents. 

Create your Facebook page with your portfolio, services, and contact information to promote your talent and get local opportunities.

Step 6: Find Jobs

RMK Voices and EM Voice are two highly revered agencies for voice-over jobs in Sydney and Melbourne.

A few other online casting websites to find and apply for voice-over roles are:

• Lisa Mann Creative Management - Sydney

• RGM Voices - Sydney

• Shanahan Management - Sydney

Register and create a profile on Backstage, Voices, and Star now for a broad selection of small-sized and independent projects. Voices.com is an excellent platform for voice actors to find voice-over jobs for beginners from home.

The platforms send job openings via email based on your skill set. It allows you to work from any location with an internet connection.

Identify opportunities in a radio station if you wish to work in a local business. Other ways to hunt for jobs are locating an agency representing you or finding voice-work volunteering activities on community boards.

8. Career Opportunities For Voice Actor In Australia

A voice-over actor has many work opportunities to explore and pursue. You can work full-time or part-time in a company or an agency or run your audio-recording studio. 

For a successful career as a voice actor, you must recognize all existing voice actor job possibilities and choose the one that matches your skillset the most.

Here are a few genres that employ voice-over artists regularly:

• Movies

• Dubbed foreign language movies

• Animation movies

• Television programs

• Radio and Television Advertisements

• Radio dramas

• Video games

• Audio play shows and Audiobooks

• Documentary films

• IVR phone systems

• Training or Online Learning

• Scripted podcasts

9. Job Prospects For Voice Actor In Australia

Voice-over is an ever-expanding field of work that depends entirely on the vocal performance of an actor. The work encapsulates many storytelling opportunities we won't see on screen or stage. 

Digitalization has led voice actors to set up their mini voice recording studios and record work from the comfort of their homes.

This is an exciting, diverse, and growing industry. Working in this field is undoubtedly a fun and rewarding experience. You will find voice acting everywhere, from Google to audiobooks, cartoons, TV commercials, and corporate training.

A voice actor might work on a television ad one day and on a cartoon voice acting job the next day, followed by a radio commercial, etc. With plenty of available voice-over jobs in Australia, the future job prospects of voice talent professionals look solid and promising.

10. How Much Does A Voice Actor Make In Australia?

The voice actor earning potential depends on the level of expertise and industry experience, work portfolio, area of work, type of voice-acting project, type of brands to work for, and current employer. The average voice actor's salary in Australia is $49.03 per hour.

Your earnings will increase with gaining experience and expanding your professional network and client base. Voice actors with an established presence, notable client base, and high reputation earn higher rates.

11. Conclusion

Great voice, Ambition, Refined Talent, and Good Business Sense are crucial to making a solid career as a voice-over artist.

This unique profession keeps exposing you to new thoughts, personalities, and knowledge in new fields that never make you feel bored while working there.

We hope this article has helped you become more empowered on your professional journey to becoming a voice actor.

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