Voice Acting for Dummies
by David and Stephanie Ciccarelli
Paperback $24.99 list, $16.81 on Amazon and $13.99 on Kindle
Many story performers think about doing voice-over. It seems like a natural. doesn’t it? We make our living by using our voices, so do they (voice-over artists). We work from stories, they work from scripts. Oops. Maybe not so similar here. We work on stage with a live audience and interact with the audience often. They work alone in a studio (except for the technical folks). Very different.
Our work is not dependent on the technology. Theirs is all about technology plus voice talent, each making the other better, each contributing almost equally to the quality of the finished product. Yikes! For two years I’ve followed an outstanding Voiceover professional group on FB– vox. Canadian spouses, David and Stephanie Ciccerelli are the owner and voiceover mavens who operate a blog and FB page as well as a voiceover business. Their FB site is a forum about issues in recording, opportunities for work, every and any issue you can think of that might arise in the field of voiceover.
Stephanie’s personal almost-daily shout-out to the community, to make us feel like we, her subscribers are a part of a community, not simply a loose conglomeration of job seekers, is her almost daily , “What are you eating for dinner tonight? And then she tells us what she is making for her family. Of course, being Italian-American myself, I strongly relate to this approach to inclusion.
It was no surprise to me after following them for two years, that the “Dummies” franchise reached out to them to write the book on Voiceover. They graciously sent me, a silent and non voice-over member of their community, to review. I ,looked at it from the perspective of someone who may want to start in this profession, without taking a $300-500 weekend course in it. (Many friends have told me that such courses are really just a way to make connections, too quick to learn the basics of a new profession even for those of us who use our voices in work all the time.)
My conclusions is that if you are considering the voiceover career track,(pun intended, voiceover folks!) then buy this book! Stephanie and David bring common sense and comprehensive information to the task of helping others learn how to do the thing that they excel in–step by step. They are as comprehensive in technique as they are in technology. So many little tips and references besides! Technology will inevitably need a “catch up”, but the information they provide will give a base from which you can ask questions to see if the newer equipment is what you want or if older models will serve your needs for start-up. If you are considering the voice-over business at all, start with this book–at around $25 (less on Amazon), it’s a bargain and a marvelous one at that!
What Editors Want You to Know 