Have you ever wondered who has given voice to your favorite animated character or to the commercial ad which is stuck in your head just like an earworm, since the moment you have heard it? Voice over is a term that is frequently used by people in the field of advertising, animation, video game, and education but it can be a new term for an outsider. And you must unleash the power of voice overs in the animation world.

It is a technique where an artist records his or her voice for off-screen usage and is extensively used in the field of animations, filmmaking, documentaries, theatre, radio, jingles, or in other presentations. The artists that are engaged in voice-overs are called voice-over artists.

Voice over in animation

Animations are made with CGI that is, computer-generated Imagery where the static figures are manipulated to appear as images with motion. Animation came into existence very early, but sound in animations was implemented much later. Voice over really revolutionized the animation industry. It gave emotions and freedom of expression to the characters of animation. There will hardly be any person around, who does not like animation.  It has been an integral part of our life since childhood through cartoons, advertisements, movies, etc.

If the voice over is not interesting enough or up to the mark, the audience can lose interest in a video. Therefore, the role of Voice over in an animation is as important as the role of Animation itself is. The entire process of voice over is a painstaking effort where scripts are made, dialogues are written, and professional voice over artists are selected for their roles and strategic back-end support is provided.

Apart from being visually appealing, the animation should have a productive voice over to keep the audience engaged and interested. For a voice over animation to be successful, it needs to have several elements-

(a) Excellent Pronunciation.

(b) Clarity at a reasonable volume for the listener.

(c) Variations in voice modulation to infuse life into the character.

(d) Appropriate pace of dialogue delivery.

(e) Careful selection of Voice over artists, to give personality and a suitable voice to the characters involved, in the animation.

Getting started as a voice over artist

Top voice over artists, such as Piyush Pandey and Richa Nigam, might not be famous in the public domain, but they are very well known and respected in the inner circle of the voice over industry. Voice over field is increasingly gaining recognition as a profession these days. Actors in this field are also in great demand nowadays because it is they, who help in bringing a character to life.

How a professional voice over artist prepares for the roles in animation voice over:

(a) By exercising – Controlling the breath and learning to speak on the breath.

(b) Regular practicing with the help of the tongue twisters.

(c) Imitating the famous voice over actors while standing in front of the camera and working on physical gestures as well.

(d) Taking classes from a voice over coach.

(e) Listening to own recording and improving.

(f) Card exercise for voicing different characters.

Content of both video and audio is hardly ever recorded together. Though animation and voice over go hand in hand, the recording totally depends on the type of animation. The process may vary, but in usual practice after the completion of the voice over part, the animation part comes into existence, especially where lip-syncing is involved.

The basic steps involved between the animator and the voice over artist are as below-

(a) Ideas are discussed and sketch options for the animation characters are discussed.

(b) Work on script starts.

(c) After finalizing the script, the first cut of the video is made by the animators, and a rough recording is done by them only, to get the idea of the final product and its requirements.

(d) After the approval, the voice over recording is done.

(e) Using the final audio, the animator then completes the animation video.

Importance of professional voice over artists in animation

The importance of voice over artists needs no emphasis. They help the animation by bringing:

(a) Human touch.

They induce emotions in the animation. By using the right extent of voice modulation, the human voice can set the tone for the entire video.

(b) Expertise.

They bring versatility and adapt easily to the requirement of the animation. Many of them also have their own equipment and recording booths.

(c) Trust.

Connection with the audience is the key for any animation. Hence, the authority and quality in the voice of the artist help in achieving the same.

(d) Time.

As they say, “saving time is saving money”. An experienced Voice-Over artist will take comparatively less time to finish the task when compared to a novice artist thereby bringing down the recording costs.

(e) Understanding.

Some things can be explained only through words. This task is expertly handled by the voice-over artists. The animation is easily understood if done by a voice over artist in a professional manner.

Voyzapp – India’s largest online voice over marketplace hosts thousands of voice actors and you can easily find the voice-over artist suitable for your project. You can simply log in to Voyzapp, search for the required language or category, listen to voice demos, compare prices and hire the voice actor instantly.