Voice actor for narrating a movie

Adding narration to a movie is one of the best ways to provide additional information about the story, give access to a character’s mind, add a bit of mystery, or completely mislead the audience.

This article will explain how voice acting for movie narration works, what to expect from voiceover actors, and how to find professional movie narrators.

How movie narration works

Narration is widely used in the film industry. Filmmakers use them to elevate the character voices in feature films, TV series, and animated movies. They’re a powerful tool to make the audience more engaged, intrigued, or sympathetic.

Narration in a movie is usually termed voiceover narration. However, the three types of voice acting are slightly different from one another.

Voiceover refers to the voice of an off-screen character that speaks over a particular scene. Movie trailer voices are the most common examples of voiceover.

Conversely, narration refers to commentary that accompanies the movie, usually delivered by lead characters or a third person. It can be first-person, third-person, or third-person omniscient.

Both voiceover and narration can also be diegetic and non-diegetic. If the voice from voiceover or narration has an on-screen source and we see someone speak these words at some point, it’s diegetic. If the voice doesn’t have an on-screen source, it’s non-diegetic.

How to write narration

To successfully create a narration that will make your movie memorable, there are three things to consider: voice quality, tense, and perspective. However, it’s usually the perspective that makes the biggest difference in the impact your movie leaves on the audience.

The first-person perspective is the best choice if you want to create closeness between the character and the audience. By using first-person pronouns, and expressing the character’s thoughts and emotions, the story becomes more relatable to the viewers.

The second-person perspective is less prevalent in movies as it’s harder to write and doesn’t have as much of an impact as the first-person perspective.

The third-person perspective is the traditional form of narration, and it tells the story from the author’s or director’s point of view. This voice is usually more knowledgeable than the characters in the story, which might add a comedic or dramatic effect.

What to expect and how to use a movie voice narrator

There are many voice actors on the market today, and finding the one that will fit your project best can be tough. There are several aspects to prioritize if you want to make the process easier.

First, assess their basic qualities like the clarity of pronunciation, intelligible pace of their voice, if they know when to apply pauses in their speech, and whether they give extra attention to volume and pitch. Make sure that they also know how to take care of their voice so they’re always ready when you need them.

Once you know how to pick a good voice actor, it’s time to look at what you need. The best actor for your project will depend on the type of project, your audience, and your budget.

Finding a movie voice actor

Finding movie voice actors can be a difficult task. Apart from knowing all the details of your project and what to expect from your voice actors, you need to know where to find them and how to hire them. Fortunately, this process is easier with numerous online platforms that give you direct access to professional voice actors.

Voice123

Voice123 is one of the best marketplaces for finding voiceover talent. The website allows you to post a project with requirements and payment details and wait for voiceover actors get back to you. However, you can also search for talents yourself. While browsing, you can review their profile and listen to voice samples.

To make the hiring process easier, the website provides filtering options for language, age, gender, location or time zone, unions, acceptable payment methods, and budget details.

Voices.com

One of the biggest platforms that host voiceover talent is Voices.com. Here you can find high-quality voice actors for various types of voiceover work, including movie trailers, podcasting, e-learning, social media videos, and dubbing for one of the 100+ languages the website offers.

You can filter by voice style, like angry, shy, friendly, and sympathetic. You can also by voice roles, such as the judge, the announcer, the guy next door, the newscaster, the police officer, the auctioneer, etc.

Backstage

Backstage is a space where you can find voiceover artists and a wide range of other talents, such as actors, models, production crew, video, audio editors, or the whole crew.

The filtering options allow you to find local talent closest to you from New York City, Los Angeles, or to search nationwide. Other filters include age, gender, union status, and visual features. You can even check whether they have a recording studio.

Get perfect movie narration with Speechify

If you prefer using technology instead, try a voiceover service like Speechify. Speechify allows you to choose between 200 natural-sounding voices in more than 20 languages and accents. It’s an excellent option for narrating movies and takes less time than hiring real actors.

You can start today by trying it out on the website or downloading the app on any device you want.

FAQ

How much do voice narrators make?

The salary of a voice narrator depends on their skill level, the type of project, the length of the recording or number of words, and additional voiceover services like tags, bundling, and pickups.

For a 15-second commercial, narrators earn around $100-$150, while TV spots can bring up to $10,000. The pricing for audiobook narration is typically between $200 and $500 per hour, but longer audiobook voiceover jobs might even pay $5,000.

What is the difference between a voice actor and a narrator?

Voice acting and voiceover narration sound similar, but they’re used for different purposes. Voice actors lend their voices to characters in movies, cartoons, TV shows, video games, ADR, etc.

On the other hand, voiceover narration is used to comment on the story and convey more information to the audience, either by breaking the fourth wall as the story’s main character or as a spectator from the outside.

What are the benefits of being a voice actor for a movie?

Becoming a voice actor has many benefits. If you’re a freelance voice actor that works from your home studio, you can set up your schedule, earn as much as you want, and reach a wider audience. Plus, the job allows you to be creative and experiment with your voice through different projects. 

Who are the best movie narrators?

Some examples of the best movie narrators are Robert De Niro in the famous Hollywood movie Taxi Driver (1976), Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Tom Kane in the Star Wars franchise, Edward Norton in Fight Club (1999), and Emma Stone in Disney’s Cruella (2021).