Animations (or cartoons) are a wonderful form of art. Perhaps you are reading this and are brought back to your childhood. Maybe you are a parent, and your child’s favorite shows come to mind, generating a range of memorable characters you are now pondering on. Well, whatever your experience is of animation, performing in animation voiceover can be great fun. In this article, we will delve deep into exactly what that looks like.
Transferable Skills for Animation Voiceover
People sometimes love to bundle the animation genre with video games or even anime. The challenge is that the style is so different! So why do people bundle it up? All of the genres mentioned here require the ability to enter into a more imaginary world than a narration or commercial piece, for example. A world of surrealism where anything can be possible. At this point I will clarify, this is not always the case – but it is a regular thing to expect, particularly in animation. Naturally, with that level of dynamic characterization, there are some cross-genre transferable skills to be had here. If you want to be a flying alien bunny with super strength with the agenda of being mankind’s next superhero, then this is the genre for you. If you want to do commercials for a living, there is plenty more content we have available to you.
Differentiating the Animation Genre
Video games can often have a realistic scenario in an unlikely position. Re-living a war in a shooter game is an example. We know the war happened, but for many of us, the scenario and circumstance are alien – we have not lived in it. We can not really imagine what it feels like to be in that situation. Yet, as voice actors, we have to build this character. That’s just the job of the voice actor, right? Well, kind of. Sometimes it is easier than others. Building a character to represent a real-life situation is hard. Sometimes building bonkers, surreal situations is hard. But often, artists will find one easier to slip into than others. This is one of the biggest differences between video games and animation, the scenario and the element of circumstance.
Anime on the other hand, adapts the old battle between good and evil. A character will go through intense backstory and pressure to propel them forward, but it is done in an aggressive way to stir the hearts of the audience. When powering up, for example, the character might be screaming rather loudly, which is not a common trait in animation.
Animation Voiceover Summary
Being able to perform a character so ridiculously out of this world can be great fun. Hearing the music, seeing the art, and reading the story can be very stimulating when building your character. Regardless of how far-fetched the character might be in the realms of reality, the important denominator in animation is truthfulness. We hear the word ‘truthful; across the board in performance, and it is fundamentally one of the most important elements to portray. Kids can detect if something is fake in an amazing manner, so you need to convince your audience that this is real! So, can you take a pretend character in a pretend world and make them a real character in the real world? Imagination is an amazing thing, and making a story is one of the best gifts you can give someone.
Performing in Animation Voiceover by Alan Shires
