Sound Recordist/Voice over Jobs In Korea
Most of us, who have taught English or are teaching English in Korea, are used to the anonymous voice over that can be heard everywhere. You can find this faceless, slightly cheesy voice in various English teaching cd’s and even on the television. This tireless voice is forever trying to excite kids about studying English.
Have you ever wondered how those foreigners find the voice over jobs? Do you have a desire to try out a career in voice acting? If you are in Korea and would like to give voice over/sound recording jobs a go then continue reading. In this post, we are going to explore the world of sound recording and voice over jobs in Korea.
What Kinds of gigs are available?
Voice over is a type of off-stage or off-camera dialogue. As such, the main responsibility of a voice-over artist is to, in most cases, read a script and speak. Voice-over artists are often called upon to read scripts. In Korea, you can find voice over jobs for various educational English animations, animated movies or voice recording for English cd’s and tapes that are used for teaching and test preparation. Most of the jobs I looked at required voice over in English however, I did see some openings for Russian and French as well.
For most gigs, you will be asked to read a script with the right attitude and tone. You should be able to convey the right type of message, with real feeling and emotion in order to make it believable. For example: A voice-over artists working on a television commercial might be asked to sound genuinely excited and cheerful about a product or service. A voice-over artist working on a public service message, on the other hand, may be asked to convey a message in somber tone so that it creates an emotional impact on its listeners.
Working Hours
On average, a gig can last anywhere from between 2-4 hours. Although, 6-7 hours is not unheard of in some cases, especially if the voice recording is a tough one. Talented voice-over artists may be able to read a script a handful of times before the clients are completely satisfied. Depending on the project however, a voice-over job may require a voice-over artist to read through a script several times before the clients are truly satisfied. At times, you might be required to read a script in different ways. For example: with different words emphasized each time or pauses in different places each time etc. So if you are planning on trying a voice over gig, make sure your schedule is pretty flexible.
How to find Voice-over/recording Work?
Getting voice-over jobs is a little difficult. You can work with an agent or recruiter. They can help you create voice-over demo, land voice-over auditions and gigs as well.
Connecting with recording studios directly is another option. Some of these studios keep aspiring voice-over artists voices on file. Potential clients can then listen to different voice-over artists and choose the one that suits their needs. These clients might work for television studios, movie studios, radio stations, advertising agencies, and theaters.
But since most recording studios are in big cities, you might want to try finding these jobs online. There are a few voice over/recording jobs listed on Craigslist. You can also try the websites and Facebook pages of the popular educational institutions, English tv shows and animations in Korea.
Another very popular and perhaps the most effective way is ‘social networking’. Get to know various people in voice recording industry. Hangout with them, make friends. Most jobs in Korea work like this. It’s all about the right connections.
What are the requirements for a successful Voice-Over Career?
Firstly, a voice-over artist must have a good voice. Obviously your voice is one of your best assets. But that’s not all. In addition, you should also be able to speak and read well, even eloquently. As a voice-over artist, you should be able to change the tone of your voice, your intonation, accent and be able to read scripts several different ways.
In Korea for most gigs involve English. For example, you may have to do voice recording for educational cd’s. These cd’s maybe for regular English conversation classes for kids or adults. You will probably have to read a script or dialogue. English educational cd’s for kids may include some singing. If it’s a test preparation cd then you probably will be reading articles or passages with a more solemn, neutral tone.
For most voice over jobs in Korea that I saw, proper education or training is desirable but not essential. In Korea, accent is very important, particularly when you want to work as a voice over artist and will probably be doing a lot of gigs related with English education. Many professional voice-over artists recommend taking voice/accent lessons, especially if you’re not a native speaker. You can also choose to take some acting courses or even get an acting degree, since a large part of voice-over work is essentially acting work.
Pay And Compensation
Determining the average salary for a voice-over artist can be difficult. Generally, the more experienced and talented the voice-over artist is, the more he/she will be able to make per gig.
Usually, voice-over artists are paid per job. They can make anywhere from 50,000 KRW to 100,000 KRW for just an hour of work. Some jobs on Craigslist offer between 150,000 KRW to as high as 300,000 KRW for a gig. For many jobs payment is negotiable.
If you are planning to try a career in voice acting I recommend calling your nearest immigration office and making sure that you can do so legally on your visa. Most places do not offer visa sponsorship and prefer candidates who are already residing in Korea. Also, preference is given to people on F-5/F-6 visa. But this is not to say that people with visa status other than F-5/F-6 have no chance. Some recording studios will sponsor visa for the right candidate with exceptional skills and prior experience.
A career in voice over/recording can be very exciting and thrilling. You need hard work, talent, and dedication for a successful voice-over career. If you have the passion and are ready for an adventure, why not give voice over/recording a chance!