Voice Over Artist - Course Details, Jobs, Skills

The art of voice acting opens a lot of pathways for those who pursue this as a career. Be it films, television, animation, gaming or automated announcement systems, voice over artists are needed to show their talents. Voice acting is primarily an off-stage, off-screen skill. However, it is equally important as the visual aspect of any form of media. There’s no denying that taking a relevant course paves the way for your voiceover career. So, where do we get started? Let’s find out. 

Top voiceover courses in India

Even though becoming a voice actor requires no qualifications or certifications, to get started, it is wise that you take up a course and get the necessary training. Listed below are some of the best (in no particular order) voice over courses offered in India. 

1. Deepak Agnihotri School of Voice Over and Dubbing - 

This voiceover and dubbing school trains people one-on-one. There are no dedicated batches or course duration. Students can take any number of classes until they have perfected the craft. They specifically train people in voice over, dubbing, acting and voice modulation. In addition to that, they also offer live projects and work from their own studio. Before enrolling, students can also take free demo classes. They operate both online and offline. They’ve got centers across India but they primarily operate in Delhi NCR. Students can get information about the fee and other class details by contacting them over call or WhatsApp. 

Deepak Agnihotri is an award-winning voice artist. He has won the 66th National Film Award in the Best Voice Over/ Narration category. Training under such an experienced expert can be a great accelerator to a successful voice acting career. 

Website - https://voiceovertraining.in/ 

Contact Numbers - 9810269265, 9990337337 

2. RK Films and Media Academy (RKFMA) - 

RK Films and Media Academy believes in professional and practical training. Their objectives include not only training students to become voice artists but also gaining confidence in the art of public speaking and improving their presentation skills. RKFMA also offers courses both online and offline. People who wish to enrol for their programmes can reach them via call or by requesting a query on their website by providing some contact information. They train their students in -

• Dubbing 
• Voice Over 
• Voice Modulation 
• Voice Culture
• Narration 

for 

• Audio Books/ Voice Dramas 
• Sports Commentary
• English Accentuation
• News Reading 
• Anchoring 
• Event Commentary 
• Radio Jockeying and more 

Website - https://www.rkfma.com 

Admission Counsellors’ Numbers - +91-9312237583/ +91-9310047775

3. Mumbai Film Academy - 

Mumbai Film Academy offers three courses in Voicing and Anchoring - a foundation course, an advance certificate course, and a professional diploma course. From basic theory lessons, practical training to industry exposure, these courses include it all. They pay special attention to the students’ articulation, expression, diction, pronunciation, fluency, clarity, vocal stamina, pitching, tempo and more. Their faculty is a list of extremely qualified professionals, dubbing artists, mimicry artists, anchors and emcees who have worked in film, TV, radio and other relevant fields. On completion of these voice over courses, the academy provides their students with 100% placement assistance and internship options. 

Similar to the voice acting schools mentioned above, potential students can find out course details like tuition fees, duration, timelines, etc. by contacting the Mumbai Film Academy. 

Website - https://www.mumbaifilmacademy.com 

Contact Number - 022-26355067

4. Udemy - 

If you’re an absolute beginner and do not wish to spend a fortune on a voice acting course, Udemy is your way to dip your toes into it. They offer numerous budget-friendly online courses that are worth exploring. They even have a few free courses in their catalogue of voice acting courses. From audiobook narration to commercial voice acting to film and TV, whatever your specific need, they’ve got you covered. Some of the voice acting they have on their website are listed below along with the fee. 

• Be a Voice Actor: Making a Living with Your Voice - ₹2499
• Voice Acting Masterclass for Audiobook & Narration - ₹2799
• Voice Acting & Character Voices for Video Games & Animations - ₹3099
• The Complete Voice Acting & Voice Overs Course - ₹1799
• Complete Voice Acting Megacourse: Beginner to Expert - ₹2299

Website - https://www.udemy.com/topic/voice-acting/?p=1 

Read More:

Online and Certificate Courses by Udemy 

Jobs for voice artists 

Finding a job in any field can be a tricky business, even more so when you are an aspiring voice artist. Many voice acting schools help their students get in touch with potential employers which makes it a bit easier. If you are looking for a voice acting job on your own, you may start with a simple Google search. You’ll find many job options on recruitment platforms like naukri.com, LinkedIn, etc. You will also find dedicated websites that only list voice acting jobs. 

You might be wondering what kind of jobs you might find on these websites. Here are a few - 

• Animation Jobs - It’s a common belief that only cartoons or animated films require voiceover artists but that is not the case. Animation is also commonly found in ad films, training content for other jobs, PSAs, marketing, etc. Since animation is so rampantly used in various media, the demand for voice artists for animation is also quite high. 
• Dubbing Jobs - Dubbing is a major limb of voice acting. Our country produces a humongous amount of regional movies and shows that are distributed all over the country and even abroad. Dubbing is mostly for translation of the original audio but it is also required when on-set audio is not up to the mark. 
• Video Game Voice Over Jobs - As challenging as it might be, this type of work is also extremely exciting. From NPCs to main characters to tutorials, video games without voice acting will be lifeless. Since most of the audio in video games is aimed at holding attention, there is a lot of room for creativity as well. 
• Audiobook Narration and Podcasting Jobs - In the last few years, podcasting and listening to audiobooks have become very popular. Since these media are primarily in the audio format, they obviously require voice actors. 
• Ads, Video Narration Jobs - Be it television or websites, you will find advertisements everywhere. However there are some dialogues, and you will find a narration happening in a majority of them. 
• Radio Jobs - Radio stations employ voice actors for jingles, different segments of different shows, ads and most importantly RJing. Being a voice artist, you can also find full-time at a radio station. 

Read More - 

Animation Courses - Admissions, Fees, Courses, Top Colleges

Skills required to be a voice over artist

In order to become a voiceover artist, especially if you are self-training, you must possess a number of personal skills, acting skills and vocal abilities. Some of these are listed below. 

• Voice modulation and articulation - Voice actors must be articulate when speaking and should be able to modulate their voices from a very low pitch to a very high pitch. 
• Clarity, accents and dialects - It is helpful if the voiceover artist can speak with clarity and can mimic various accents and dialects. This increases the number of work opportunities that they can get. 
• Confidence - Voice actors must be able to deliver their dialogues or monologues with confidence. Even if their part demands that they speak like a nervous person, they must have enough confidence to make a compelling delivery. 
• Timing and pacing - It’s a common mistake to deliver dialogues in a way that may seem monotonous. If voice actors work on their timing and pacing and take appropriate pauses, their performances can improve. 

• Emotional range - Expressing a wide range of emotions through voice alone can be a tricky business. However, it can be perfected with regular practice.
• Storytelling and improvisation - It is important that aspiring voice actors master the art of storytelling. It is also important that they are able to improvise in situations of sudden redirection in their delivery.