Hello, I need your help, Mr escaped I want to be a voice actor like you, but I don't know how and I'm broke so got any tips
Don't worry I started hot off of the pandemic when I was broke as shit too.
Broke VA Starter Kit:
- Any functional PC
I started with a janky outdated laptop, just make sure you get a mouse too to make editing easier. Don't try recording and editing on your phone, you will hate your life.
- Blue Yeti Microphone
Look for a used one if you're really broke, they last a long time so used is ok. They're not the best but if cost is an issue they're pretty good. I started with a Blue Yeti.
- Audacity
It's free, easy to learn, and pretty robust.
- Pixabay Royalty-Free Sound Library
There are other free libraries but theirs seems to have better quality control than most free libraries.
Practice on your own. A lot. You don't have the pressure of a release schedule so use that time to push yourself through the grind. Practice writing and don't be afraid to proofread and edit your scripts. Practice acting. Do a lot of takes. Force yourself to cringe your way through listening to your own voice reciting the same dialogue over and over (everyone hates it but you'll get used to it). Practice editing. Learn to implement sound effects and balance out their volume levels until their seamless.
Your first few attempts will be slow and full of mistakes, but that's fine. You will suck. Your scripts will suck, your acting will suck, your sound editing will be choppy and imbalanced. Accept this. Push through it, and you will develop your skills a lot more quickly than you might think. Give yourself room to grow while your still in a private, no-pressure environment. Do it over and over until your proud. Save your best ideas for when you're confident enough at scripting, acting, and editing to actually put something out there.
Be active, be social. Show your friends, both online and IRL. Collaborate with other people. Bounce your script ideas off of listeners and other creators. Don't let it be a cringey dirty little secret, be loud and be proud. Self-promote whenever it's appropriate and then self-promote a little more where it's not appropriate. Getting your first 1,000 subscribers is going to be a frustrating uphill battle but whatever. Push, beat your own drum, because no one else is going to beat it for you when you're at the point in your creator career that almost nobody knows who the fuck you are.
Be yourself, make what you like, and be shamelessly original. Every story in the world has already been told, except for yours, so put a little bit of yourself into your work. Take inspiration (and aspiration) from other creators, but don't try to emulate them. Don't try to be like someone else because you'll never escape their shadow if you do, and their fingerprints will be WAY more visible than you might think. Take your inspiration from everywhere. Not just from VAs but from books, music, movies, and any other form of art. Don't follow trends, don't worry about appeasing the audience. Create the stories you want to tell, the way you want to tell them.
