Voice-Over: Choose Your Make, Model & Color

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Derek Chappell

An analogy:

As my wife and I were leaving the movie theater Sunday evening, I realized I had parked way too far away. We must have walked past 30 cars to get to ours. But as we strolled, I realized that no two vehicles parked side by side were the same. There were blue cars, red trucks, and black motorcycles. Ford. Chevy. Kia. GMC. Harley. Some were older models with plenty of miles. Some were brand new and shiny. 2-door and 4-door.

It made me wonder why the owner of each of these vehicles chose that particular make, model and color. Was it the price? Did the test drive do it? Was it the reputation? Did the salesman make the difference? Or did the potential buyer just ‘know it when she saw it’?

Then it hit me. That parking lot and the voiceover business are extremely similar.

Think of those parked cars as voice artists. Lined up side by side, no two voice talent are the same. We come in many different makes, models, and colors. Some have a number of miles under their belt, while others sound new and shiny.

Think of a producer, business, or agency in need of a voiceover as the automobile buyer. Are they in need of a sports car? A monster truck? A Rolls Royce? What makes them choose the particular talent they drive off the showroom floor? Is it the demo? Reputation? Agent? Or do they ‘just know it when they hear it’?

Ok, the analogy may be a bit of a stretch, but here is what I took away from that parking lot, other than a great date night with my wife…as a voice artist your make and model matter, but more often than not, whether you work is simply determined by whether the voice buyer needed a Buick, F-150, or a Hog!

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  • http://www.thevoiceofyourbusiness.com/blog Derek Chappell

    Keep on Truckin Rick!!

  • http://www.ricklancestudio.com/ Rick Lance

    Interesting analogy Derek!
    Cars have so much personality and reflect a great deal of own.
    If I keep on driving the right buyer seems to show up.
    Then I can take him/her for a ride!
    In a good way, of course.

  • http://www.thevoiceofyourbusiness.com/blog Derek Chappell

    As sports-junkies like we are Ralph, I can think of many analogies to sports and VO. May have to come up with a follow-up post on that one. We saw the movie, ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’. Cute movie. Good laughs for anyone with children!

  • http://hasthevoice.blogspot.com/ Ralph Hass

    Good stuff Derek!
    You could also substitute movies or sports for your analogy:)
    Which movie did you see by the way?

    Meanwhile, I’m expecting to now see ads from VO coaches and agencies that say, “Sign up NOW and you “could” win a FREE CAR!”…or a free tank of gas…

  • http://www.thevoiceofyourbusiness.com/blog Derek Chappell

    With that knowledge Dave, you’re a step ahead of many. Even though I’ve heard it from many in the business, it’s still often difficult to remember, “It’s about selection, not rejection.”.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Wallace/100001735732353 Dave Wallace

    Nice analogy, Derek. When people ask me the “how do I get into voice acting” question, one of the first things I tell them (besides how competitive an industry it is), is for them to be honest with their voices and what they can do, so they can find out what they uniquely bring to the table. Almost all of my VO is stuff that calls for a “young, hip, cool” kind of sound…so any time I see an audition in my inbox for a “deep, gritty, movie trailer voice”…I won’t even audition for it, ’cause that ain’t my voice. Or, to use your analogy, that ain’t my make and model. :)