The all-time favorite commercial was the Twilight Zone promo featuring Jordan Peele. The spot was intriguing from the get-go, and the storyteller voice-over took you on a journey into the unknown.
Your choices for most memorable ad were the Google translation commercial and the Kia Telluride commercial. The writing for both spots was sincere and thoughtful and the voice over matched it perfectly. The Google script featured a unique, reassuring, international voice, while the Kia commercial conveyed vulnerability as strength through the voice of a young boy. Although the deep, (often announcery) voices tended to dominate the Super Bowl ads once again, it was the raw, unique, and vulnerable spots that stood out as most memorable. It's curious that the spots that went against the stereotypical, masculine sports-fan were the ones that stuck with us.
Otherwise, there was a lot of variety: many of the reads were warm and friendly, smoky or sensual, high energy or announcery, and there were even a handful done in character.
The biggest observation that nearly everyone spoke about was the glaringly uneven ratio of commercials voiced by men versus women. We counted 35 spots voiced by men and only 10 voiced by women, and your tallies were all roughly the same. That's right, less than one third of the voice over was performed by women. One might argue that it makes sense in an event with a predominantly male audience, however a recent Forbes article states that "in 2017, the NFL estimated roughly 45% of football fans were female, [and in 2018] women constituted about 49% of the 108 million-plus people who watched the game." Half of the audience is women, which raises the question: if there is equal representation in the audience, why isn't there equal representation in the voice over?
Perhaps the uniqueness and vulnerability that we saw will continue to evolve in voice over throughout the course of the year. Maybe at the next Super Bowl we'll hear even more of what we already know: that women can sell to sports fans, that soft-spoken men can raise our spirits, and that unique voices can inspire us.
A Tech Tip clarification from our brilliant instructor Jim Edgar
Three steps to stop listening to yourself while performing commercial VO
Take a look at the awesome classes coming your way this month, and join us in-person in San Francisco or online via Zoom.
Many actors are affected by dyslexia, but it isn't talked about enough.
Check out what we have in store for you this month!
Voice Acting is more than just reading, no matter the sales pitch.
Interview and Q&A with Tom Celia - Recording Available!
How the pandemic changed dubbing and what that means for the future
Join us on September 8 and meet Cliff!
“I will quite often come out of the booth drenched in sweat, but those are the things that I live for.”
This weekend only! Save $50 on your class registration!
'Twelve Minutes' required much more time in the booth
A quick look at classes starting this weekend and next week!
Voice actor Kayleigh McKee discusses her experience in voiceover and progress in representation
Blizzard's Casting Director Wants You to Bring Truth to the Fantastic Worlds of Video Games
Join us this Thursday (8/5) for a *FREE* Webinar!
A Discussion of VO and Mocap in Video Games
Meet and perform for some of the best in the industry!
Making your audition stand out and connect to the listener is the route to success. Here are some great suggestions how.
Everything you need to know about why, how, and when to take the Voice One Core Curriculum this semester!
Standing out in a crowd is difficult, especially if you are consciously or unconsciously emulating what you've heard before.
What's up with the recent changes to Audacity?
Entire Core Curriculum is available from July 19th to August 8th in our Summer Fast Track!
Interview and Q&A with Tyler Rhoads on July 9
We now have fun and affordable offerings for you every Friday night!
Much has changed in Voice Over in the past few decades.
Tackling the issue of representation in the audiobooks industry comes with a number of unique concerns
An interview with a voice casting director on the state of the industry
Kelly Tran's seeming sudden prominence in the public eye is rooted in years of dedication to the craft.
Come meet our next guest talent agent!
Solid advice on being the voice actor that directors want in their projects.
Steve Pogatch – Lead Audio Producer – Pandora/Sirius XM/Stitcher (Studio Resonate)
Emi Lo, Apphiya Yu, and Shawn Gann discuss their perspectives on Asian-American representation in Anime and more
Knowing what works is great, but knowing what doesn't work can save you a lot of anguish.
What makes acting in animation believable and bookable?
Anjali shares realistic advice from what she has learned over the course of her amazing career.
Award season always brings up the question about recognition of voice acting by the Academy
We spoke with the legendary dialect coach on learning accents
Embracing your "imperfections" can make you a better creative collaborator.
It's not "one style fits all" in Character work.
Mary Lynn Wissner, Award Winning Casting Director
Join us for a free webinar! March 17, 10am PST
One of the most highly influential players in voice acting history
A change in perspective can really change what you bring to the table!
Dani and Lee speak about their histories with Anime, representation in voice acting, and inspiring fans to follow their dreams.
Cheryl Rosenthal, Video Producer and Director!
Check out what we have in store for you in February!
Join us for a free webinar! February 4, 10am PST
We get to see how the VO Boss assesses a high quality corporate narration spot.
Jim Edgar shares some perspective on resolving changes in your space's sound over time.
Ann Richardson shares suggestions on audiobook narration that can help you and others in the process.
Sally suggests letting these four words become your mantra for 2021.
Practical Advice for Achieving your Goals in Acting
Check out what we have in store for you in January!
Tiburon Actress Discusses her Role in Pixar's Soul.
An intriguing evolution of a Voice Over career
This holiday season put a little voice over in your gift basket!
Listen to two wonderful demos fresh out of the studio! (plus learn more about our Demo Production process)
Lake Bell talks about getting into the VO business and what it means for her.
Announcing December's Professional Invitational guest!
Texas-based company is making more opportunity for English dubbing beyond Anime
Check out what we have in store for you you this coming month!
Prolific voice actors of animation talk about their careers
by Clay Robeson October 1, 2020
Announcing October's Professional Invitational guest!
As a voice actor, you are your brand, but you can also become part of a company's "brand voice"
Check out what we have in store for you you this coming month!
A quick look at classes starting this week and next week!
Voice Actor phenom here to teach our VO Master Class
A quick look at classes starting this week and next week!
Voice One's new line of "Vocal Athlete" t-shirts are now available in red and black in the Voice One store!
Announcing our first Professional Invitational guest of the Fall 2020 Semester!
