Why and how to hire Voice Over Artists for your videos.
What is your first thought when you think of a slick movie trailer? The deep, gravelly voice over, right? Okay, maybe that trend is a little dated, but voice over artists are still some of the best talent you can hire to enhance an animated project. So who are these elusive people, and where exactly can you find them?
You worked hard putting together some show-stopping storyboards. So how are you going to animate them without a great voiceover track to get your timing right? We’ve got you covered. In this post we're going to share a few of our favorite places to get voiceover work. We even have a tutorial that will help you become a pro at coaching your voiceover artists.
In this article, you'll learn to:
- Find a Voice Over Artist (at various price ranges)
- Coach Vocal Talent
Finding a Voice Over Artist — Large Budget
If you land a client with some experience, and money is no object, then there's just one place to go: Voices.com
Voices.com runs a minimum of $500, no matter the project. If your script is only 15-seconds, you’re still paying $500. At the same time, this higher cost brings some sweet perks, just like flying first class. Voice.com has dedicated account representatives that work for you as the liaison with the talent. When the client says they'd rather hear “wiener” with a ‘v’ pronunciation, your account rep will be there to facilitate that change. They also offer quite a few other perks you can read about on their site, such as branded demo pages.
These reps also serve as quality assurance, and they can tell good from bad. In short, working with Voices.com is getting the Whitney Houston of voice over artists. Nearly all of their talent is top-tier, and they will work with you to guarantee satisfaction.
Finding a Voice Over Artist — Medium Budget
If you're working with a decent budget, but need to save where you can, you'll find a plethora of great artists at Voices123.
This site has a simple search platform and browsable database. While you can get a representative, you will often need to act as the main point of contact with your actor. A representative isn't cheap, which is why Voices.com charges such a premium.
The quality pretty much stays the same too, but you’re doing the heavy lifting when finding the talent, pricing negotiation, and any necessary revisions.
For a 60-second spot, a voiceover talent will likely range between $100 and $500. There isn’t a minimum, and sometimes you can find a real gem for less than $100.
Finding a Voice Over Artist — Low to Mid-Range Budget
VoiceBunny.com is extremely similar to Voice123.com. I probably could get away just copying and pasting the previous paragraph, the setup is so similar. There is one thing that VoiceBunny really prides itself on, though: multilingual talent.
They make it known that you can easily find voiceover talent for multiple languages. If you’re working with a big name client who needs videos translated to multiple languages, VoiceBunny has our back. Almost all voiceover services offer this in one way or another, but here the process is buttery smooth.
VoiceBunny again has a similar range to Voice123. You can find a talent starting as low as $50 for a 60-second spot, and it goes up from there.
Finding a Voice Over Artist — Low Budget
If your budget is a bit tighter, we'd recommend InternetJock.com.
The site might not have all the bells and whittles, but the customer service and talent are exceptional. Starting around $50-$60 for a 60-second spot, you can usually expect delivery the same day without any rush fees. We've rarely seen them take more than 24 hours.
Their talent selection is pretty limited to keep the process fast and simple. However, if you work with a talent a couple times, you'll get to know their tendencies and what to expect.
InternetJock also has a really sweet phone system that a talent can request you use for pronunciation purposes. In my experience, they’ll usually make the request even before recording so you don’t have to ask for a revision. Not bad for $60.
Finding a Voice Over Artist — Nil Budget
If you simply can't spare anything for voice over work, we'd recommend UpWork.
Do I really need to write anything about UpWork? If you’re a freelancer, you know what UpWork does. They are a platform for companies or other freelancers to outsource jobs. UpWork has had a troubled history with regards to disruption of the industry and how much their freelancers actually make. However, if you’ve got a bad budget, then you’re probably looking here. There's definitely is a reason why they exist.
To be completely frank, you get what you pay for with UpWork. If you put in enough effort, you can get a really great VO for almost nothing. Will you feel good about it, though? Will you? Will you?!
Coaching Talent
Coaching talent can be one of the most difficult parts of the entire Motion Design process, but it doesn’t have to be. Directing and coaching VO artists is a skill that must be practiced. In this tutorial from our Making Giants series, Joey shares how he coaches VO artists by giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the process.
Working With Vocal Talent on a Motion Graphics Project
Now that you have a sense for where to find great vocal talent, how about actually working with them? What if there was a way to try out a practical, real-world motion design project to flex all your skills? Welcome to Explainer Camp!
This 12-week project-based course throws you into the deep-end, giving you the training and tools to create a fully-realized piece from bid to final render.
