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If you’re looking for a way to try and maximise your opportunities in the voiceover industry, learning accents are a great way to open yourself up to a large number of new voice-over roles. It’ll show that you have diversity as a voice-over artist and on top of that it’s always a neat party trick to pull out! Trying to learn an accent does seem daunting, however when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, it’s a simple case of repetition. This article has been created to break down the tools that you need in order to master a new accent, and give you a few methods of learning.
When starting to learn an accent, the first step is a simple one. Get to know the accent. The best way to do this is by finding a recording of one person with the accent you want to learn. Try to keep it to just the one voice, as you can focus on it, without being pulled in four other directions by four other voices all with different accent variations. By studying the one accent exclusively, you’ll get to know the ins and outs of the accent, and be able to pick up on any colloquialisms that will help shape your voice and make it that much more realistic. An example of an ideal recording to study would be a monologue. For example if you’re trying to learn how to pull off an American accent, try to find a recorded story read by an American, with that you’ll be able to focus on just the one voice and study it.
An alternative method to the above is to speak to someone face to face who has the desired accent. Again it’s all about studying the voice, but the advantage with doing it face-to-face is that you can study your subject’s jaw, cheeks, lips and tongue (without trying to look like a head-case) to see how they form words. You can also tailor the responses that they give by asking them specific questions, so you can study their voice when they exclaim, mumble and other things of that nature. It gives you a more customised learning experience, but you’ll need to find a talkative and understanding native!
Try to learn an extreme version of the accent. Whilst that sounds pointless if you’re trying to learn a more regional accent, it can help you pick up the accent quicker to begin with. The theory is, is that if you are able to master a broad version of the accent, you’ll then easily be able to refine it down to the dialect that you’re aiming for. It’s always a good method to try, because at the very least you’ll have learnt how to do the broad accent.
As is common-practice with voiceover work, make sure you have some form of recording device present. If you find a recording of someone speaking in your desired accent, record yourself saying the exact same thing, and then listen to your recording followed by the authentic version. It’s the best way to objectively compare your attempt at the accent, with the real deal. If you’re unsure as to how it sounds (maybe you’re not objective enough!) grab a friend and get them to listen. A fresh set of ears can easily pick up on things that you may miss and help you shape your accent to an even higher standard. Similar to this, if you have friends who speak with the desired accent, get them to listen to it, as they’ll have more experience hearing people talk with that accent, and will be able to give you more pointed and specific feedback.
As with most things, practise makes perfect. So don’t just practice once or twice a day if you’re trying to get the voice down. When you’re walking around your house with no-one alone, try talking to yourself in that accent. You want to feel natural speaking in that tone so you can go into speaking with the accent smoothly. The only way you’ll be able to do this is by practicing, and if you’re home alone you’re less likely to feel subconscious, so you’ll put more effort into trying to get it perfect. If you keep doing this, before you know it you’ll have mastered it.
So there you have it. A number of methods and techniques that will help you learn an accent. As these steps show, it doesn’t have to be that tricky, as all it takes is practice and patience. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t get it straight away; just keep practicing, because it will eventually click into place. An accent is an invaluable tool that is a great advantage if you want to go far in voiceovers, so decide which accent you think will serve you best and get learning today! All you need is commitment!
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