The Bottom Line On Accents and Funny Voices

The Bottom Line On Accents and Funny Voices
By Susan Berkley

Many people are born mimics. They can copy accents easily and entertain others with a variety of voices. While this innate talent might also mean you have a good ear and a “knack" for voiceover work, you will still need training to focus your skills and adapt them to the demands of the market.

Take accents, for example. The next time you listen to the radio, notice how very few commercials feature voice actors speaking in accents or dialects. There are several reasons for this. An accent may be difficult for many people to understand. If an ad can't be understood, its purpose is defeated. An accent may offend members of a particular ethnic group. Or an accent or dialect may cause certain preconceptions in the mind of the listener. For example, it may not be fair or true but some people foolishly assume that a speaker with a southern accent is slow or uneducated. For all these reasons and more, advertisers tend to steer clear of using accents in their commercials.

Animation is a different story. Funny accents can bring life to a character in cartoons and other children's entertainment. However, just because you can do accents doesn't mean you can do cartoons. You have to be able to use your voice to create real, believable characters that are much more than a funny voice. The best animation voice specialists sustain their characters indefinitely (not just for a few lines) and can do a wide range of voices within the same production. Also, most of the animation work is done in Los Angeles, Orlando and Toronto. There isn't as much opportunity in other cities.

Because copywriters frequently use humor to sell, an ability to handle humorous copy and good comedic timing is a real asset for voiceover work. These skills can be developed by working with a competent coach. If you're naturally funny, you should definitely showcase it on your demo tape.

Thanks once again to Susan Berkley for her wealth of knowledge!