How To Hire A Voice Actor

How do you hire voice talent?  Why, through Voices.com of course!

Use the award-winning Voices.com service to post a job or search for a voice actor.  Are you looking for a celebrity impersonation?  How about a wild-west “Sam Elliott” voice, or a fun character voice?  Whatever your need, the voice actors at Voices.com can handle it.

Whether it’s for a radio commercial of your quirky company voicemail, there are many ways to bring the mystique of Hollywood into your life.  You could even have Arnold Schwarzenegger taking your calls!

Who would you have on your ultimate voicemail message?

You Don’t Need To Be A Celebrity To Be A Celebrity Voice

What if I told you that the character in the cartoon you just watched wasn’t entirely voiced by the actor who they told you did?

What if some words, expressions, and noises coming out of the character’s mouth were recorded by a different actor altogether?

Would you feel deceived?

I mean, think about it for a minute.  It’s like an actor or actress using a body double, something extremely common in television and film.  Jessica Alba has admitted that she is not afraid of doing risque scenes in films – because she leaves that up to her body double.

Body double are often necessary when, for example, and actress is pregnant.  Similarly, if a celebrity comes down with an illness that affects their vocal chords, a vocal ‘double’ can be called in.  When you are not able to perform your normal duties at your job, a co-worker can cover for you.  It’s something that happens every day!

Pat Fraley is a voice actor that you have probably heard – unknowingly.  He has made big bucks “voice matching”, mainly matching the voices of Tim Allen and Jon Voight.  You can learn all about just what he does, how to do it, and how much he makes in his lecture “Voice Matching and Imitating Voices“.

All-New Voice Cast for Children’s Favorite Dora the Explorer

What happens when you have a hit kids cartoon with characters who don’t age that uses a voiceover cast of children?

The children’s voices might grow out of their parts!

This is what has happened to preschool favorite Dora the Explorer.  Don’t worry though, Nickelodeon Preschool TV has already filled the new cast with young voices that kids are sure to love, featuring Caitlin Sanchez as the voice of Dora.  They are kicking off Season 5 of the show with a 5-hour marathon on Nick Jr. that will include 4 new episodes, as well as specials and movies from previous seasons.

The new season will also introduce a new feature for the show.  Dora will be meeting new friends from different cultures who will teach her and her young viewers a special skill from that culture.

Prior to the start of the new season, Nickelodeon will release a CD featuring party songs performed by the new cast.

Source: VoiceOverTimes

I Have A Hunch – Igor Will Be A Hit

Igor

All creatures have dreams – even hunchback monsters, it seems! Igor is no different – he’s a young hunchbacked monster who dreams of becoming a scientist and winning first place at the annual Evil Science Fair. The problem? He’s only a lowly lab assistant who’s job is to do everything that him mad scientist employer tells him to.

The final poster for Igor was recently released, showing off the full cast of celebrities whose voices you will hear in the film beginning September 19th. John Cusack provides the voiceover for the main character, Igor.

This unique take on the traditional ‘monster movie’ should be well-received by young audiences worldwide. It is rated PG.

Sources: IMDB, Cinematical, Official Site

Who Are Those Guys in the Header?

Great question!

You probably wouldn’t look twice at these men walking down the street, but I guarantee you’ve heard their voices.  All thirteen of these men can be heard on primetime television – they’re the Primetime Voices!

If you counted the men in the picture carefully, you may have noticed that there are only twelve there.  That’s because the thirteenth person is in an awkward position – I couldn’t crop him in!  You can view the entire photo below.

As I mentioned, these men are heard on primetime on networks including CBS, ABC, NBC, and countless others.  Many of these voice actors are also known for recording movie trailers – notably Don LaFontaine, whose classic scripts beginning with “In a world…” have been spoofed by everyone from insurance companies to Saturday Night Live!

Don, Joe Cipriano, and Dave Fennoy were featured together in an Entertainment Tonight special about the working life of voice over actors.  You can watch the video and find out more on VOX Daily.

Morgan Freeman in Serious Condition after Car Accident

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is listed in “serious condition” after being extracted from a car wreck using the jaws of life on Sunday night.  The accident took place in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi.  Freeman was airlifted to the hospital as Tallahatchie is about 100 miles south of Memphis.  A spokesperson for the Memphis Regional Medical Center has confirmed that Freeman is a patient at the hospital.

Oscar-winner Freeman was ‘lucid’ at the scene and was joking with rescue workers, according to Clay McFerrin, editor of Sun Sentinel in Charleston, Mississippi.  Freeman is a native of the Memphis area and owns a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Freeman’s instantly recognizable voice can be heard narrating everything from television commercials, to TV specials, to feature length films.  Recently he recorded a new radio public service announcement for the national parks of the United States.  Currently, Freeman can be seen in the feature film The Dark Knight.

Source: CNN, IMDB

Celebrity Voices Remind You to Keep Your Belongings Secure

Have you ever parked your car, only to realize when you returned that you had left valuables in the car that could have been stolen?

If you’re parking in the U.K., you might just hear a celebrity’s voice reminding you to secure your belongings thanks to Talking Parking Meters. Celebrity voice impersonator Stuart Smith of Celebrity Voices Ltd (no affiliation with Celebrity Voices) provides the voices of celebrities such as David Beckham, Sir Michael Caine, and Simon Cowell in an effort to reduce the amount of thefts from parked vehicles.

Here’s how it works:

1. Park your car
2. Walk to the meter to take a ticket
3. Hear to a celebrity’s voice remind you to secure your vehicle
4. Lock you car and be on your way!

What a great idea.

Read more from Stuart at VOX Daily!

Physical Disabilities Don’t Hold Voice Actors Back

Robert David Hall is best known as coroner Dr. Albert Robbins on the television show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. Previously, his voice was heard on the children’s cartoon G.I. Joe as well as on various radio commercials and other children’s cartoons.

If you had never seen Hall on television before, would you expect to see a man who walks with the aid or crutches? Most likely not – but this is the case with Hall, who has two prosthetic legs due to an automobile accident in 1978.

Hall has never let this slow him down though, choosing instead to use his disability as an aid to raise awareness for others. He has been involved in numerous fund raisers and awareness campaigns over the years.

As Hall says:

“Just because I’m a person with a disability, that shouldn’t limit me.”

You can read more about Hall’s endeavors on VOX Daily.

Do Animated Films Need Celebrity Voices?

So often nowadays an animated film is marketed on the basis of the voices behind the characters. Whether it’s Jerry Seinfeld or Jack Black, sometimes you have to wonder if audiences come to see the film or to hear those celebrity voices that they recognize?

Possibly the most popular animated television series (and now a film) of all time is, of course, The Simpsons. Quick – can you name the voices behind Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, or any of the main characters? Likely not all of them, unless you’re a die-hard fan. Would you recognize them if you saw them on the street? I doubt it!

Photo by pforret

Here we have six voice actors who you can hear daily on television. Their voices drive a television empire – no one would ever consider asking someone like Angelina Jolie to replace one of them!

I agree with Peter Martin of Cinematical, who wrote a great article on this subject yesterday. We don’t need celebrity voices in cartoons anymore – especially movies that are aimed at kids who don’t know these voices anyway.

Voice Acting industry blogger Stephanie Ciccarelli wrote on the subject or celebrities being cast in major animated films not too long ago and had many voice actors chime in with their thoughts in the comments. Read her article Celebrity Voice Actors VS Pro Voice Actors Debate.

Voice Acting Reviews: Bee Movie

If you’re a fan of Jerry Seinfeld, you should definitely watch Bee Movie, now out on DVD.  In addition to his credits as writer and producer, Jerry voices the main character, Barry B. Benson, as he enters the working world of bees and finds himself on a grand adventure in New York.

This is Jerry’s first role as a voice actor, and he certainly brings life to his character!  The voice is unmistakable as his, however he makes it unique and believeable.

Jerry is joined by actors such as Renee Zellweger, Patrick Warburton (an actor whose voice you hear quite a bit on television and in film), Chris Rock, and John Goodman.  You’ll hear cameos from celebrity voices such as Sting (how apropos!) and Oprah Winfrey as well.  This is an A-list cast to be sure!

Reviewer Stephanie Ciccarelli says that she was particularly impressed by John Goodman’s voice acting:

Blow the doors down, powerful, electric and showered the booth with an ever-so-convincing southern drawl. Worth watching and waiting for. It was clear that he was having a lot of fun with this role.

That itself sounds like reason enough to enjoy the celebrity voices in this great film!  Read the rest of her review here.